Fate Genesis
by Cybertoy00
Summary: While fighting against Dr. Eggman, Sonic and the gang are transported to Fuyuki at the beginning of the 5th Heaven's Feel. A Chaos factor like no other has been introduced to the Holy Grail War, and Masters and Servants alike find their plans blown away by a sonic boom!
1. Sonic Boom

**Fate/Genesis**

Chapter 1: _Sonic Boom_

_**Egg Saucer Zone**_

High in the sky it flew. It maintained its altitude and momentum by spinning, it's disc-like shape bringing to mind a pizza made of steel and silicon. An observer looking at it from afar would claim that it was an alien invasion, an observation that was inaccurate.

At least, about it being alien.

It was the _Egg Saucer_, and it was the center of Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik's latest and most daring plot for World Domination©. It contained a weapon of unimaginable power- the Genesis Ray. Once fired, the whole planet would fall into his grasp.

Not if Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends had anything to say about it!

Sonic raced through the _Egg Saucer_'s facilities, dodging unfriendly fire and smashing any robot that got too close. He leapt over conveyor belts and past pits with spikes at the bottom. He knew he had to be fast- Sonic was always fast, but this time he had an extra reason to hurry. Eggman had gotten his hands on all seven Chaos Emeralds, and planned on using their energy to fuel his weapons. Sonic had to reach him before they got near something the not-so-good doctor could fire at!

Outside, Miles 'Tails' Prower flew around the _Egg Saucer_'s airspace in his bi-plane, the _Tornado_. After dropping his friends off, he began to buzz the_ Egg Saucer_ and draw its cannon fire, as well as give back a few salvos of his own. One shot from the _Egg Saucer_ grazed the biplane, shaking it up, but Tails kept his cool.

In another part of the Egg Saucer, Knuckles the Echinda was an red engine of destruction, smashing Badniks apart with his spiked fists. While the one-echinda army act battled the robot hordes, Amy Rose ran about, jumping from one egg pod to the next. With adept precision she landed on each of the Pods' yellow buttons, opening them up and releasing the critters trapped inside.

"Go! You're free!" Amy called out to the fleeing animals. "Knuckles, that's the last of them! Let's go!"

Knuckles crushed one last Crabmeat before answering. "We can't leave yet. We have to take care of Eggman!"

"Sonic's on it! He'll scramble the doc's plans!" Amy insisted, her eyes shining as she thought of her precious Sonic.

But Knuckles wasn't so sure of Sonic's success. "But Eggman's got the Emeralds…!"

* * *

Dr. Eggman grinned evilly as he watched the fuel gauge for the Genesis Ray rise. He was impressed with how quickly the machine was absorbing the Emeralds' power. At this rate, the Ray would be fully powered before they even reached a city.

Before Eggman could decide whether or not he wanted to attain total control without an audience, the doors to his chamber blew open. The dust cleared, and there stood Sonic, bold as brass and blue as paint. The hedgehog grinned.

"Sonic," Eggman growled, "You're not stopping me this time!"

"I've done it before," Sonic responded cheekily, "Why spoil a tradition?"

Eggman's reply to that was to activate his Eggmobile's weapons. The hovercraft floated into the air, armed with a giant claw on its left side and a cannon on the right.

Sonic began to run all around the chamber, dodging laser blasts and missiles, jumping now and then to avoid the claw whenever Eggman sent it out. When the claw ended up lodged in the wall (The inevitable result of overzealous aim) Sonic took the opportunity to attack the Eggmobile's main body. Curling into a ball and spinning at super-speed, Sonic rammed into the Eggmobile's front- just another showdown between Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman.

But then something went wrong.

The force of Sonic's attack jarred Eggman in his cockpit, causing him to hit certain controls. These controls undid the safeguards that prevented Eggman's weapons from attacking crucial equipment, and now there was nothing to stop the missiles from hitting the Genesis Ray's main drive. Poor Eggman didn't realize until after he had tried to blast Sonic, who was just too fast to be targeted.

"Oh no!" Eggman gasped as the machinery began to crackle and pop, emitting sparks of electricity. "No, no, no!"

Sonic gave a mocking salute and took off. As the Genesis drive began to explode, Dr. Eggman released one last, and very common, scream.

"I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!"

Sonic ran, planning to find his friends and get them off the _Egg Saucer_ before Eggman's latest weapon blew up in his face. But Sonic underestimated the Genesis Ray; It wasn't a mere laser cannon. It was something far greater, and as such, it's reaction from damage was more than an explosion.

There was a great noise, then a light.

There was a great silence, then the light faded.

And the _Egg Saucer_ was gone.

* * *

_**The 1st Night**_

Fuyuki, a small city in the country of Japan. It's only claim to fame was that it had been the site of a great tragedy- he Fire of Fuyuki, as publicists called it. A portion of the city had been consumed by flames, an act of arson equal to the Burning of Rome. While the source of the fire had never been discovered- official sources said the fire had been the result of a gas leak- those who connected dots noticed that there had been several murders- some also linked to gas leaks, others not- in the days before the disaster. In the present day, those same, ignored people noticed that several mysterious deaths- once more attributed to gas leaks- were happening again, and wondered if there was a pattern. They were right.

Sonic wasn't aware of any of this, but he was aware- VERY aware- of the pavement as his face fell onto it. Getting up, he shook his head to make the birdies go away.

"Ugh… Wipe out," Sonic groaned, "What happened…?"

Sonic looked around. The city that surrounded him was still unnervingly still. Either the metropolis was taking a power-nap, or the hedgehog had landed in a ghost town.

"Where am I?" Sonic asked aloud. He looked up at the night sky and didn't recognize the stars. Did the destruction of Eggman's machine send him to another world…?

"Hope Tails, Knux and Amy are okay," Sonic murmured.

Then he heard a scream in the distance. Snapping out of his revere, Sonic sped off to the source, doing some_ Le Parkour _off the buildings in the process.

* * *

In a dark alley (Where else), a spear-wielding man in a blue bodysuit with blue stood over his net victim, the corpse of his most recent victim by three seconds lying not too far away.

"P-please…" The poor man whimpered, shivering. "Don't do this…"

"Sorry, but I've got no choice," Lancer replied, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. He used his other hand to point his spear at the man's chest. "Gotta refuel somehow."

Did he ever. Lancer had been summoned as a Servant- a Heroic Spirit whose presence in the physical world was maintained by a mage they were bound to, their Master. Seven Servants were summoned by seven Masters, to fight for the ultimate prize.

Unfortunately, Lancer's current Master did not have the Prana to supply, forcing Lancer to restore himself by draining the energy of living creatures; namely, other humans- Literally, his Master actually ordered him to do it. And if that wasn't bad enough, the coward refused to let the Servant fight! The _modus operandi _so far had been to trade blows for a bit with other Servants, exchange barbs, then leave. Even though the Fake Priest had said it was part of their "Plan for Victory" Lancer wasn't happy with it. Such a boring way to fight a war…

Lancer raised his spear, and stopped. Cocking his head, he wondered if he heard a noise…?

Sonic rammed into Lancer's side with an audible WHAM, sending the spearman flying into a wall.

"Denied!" Sonic remarked, and looked at Lancer's would-be victim and asked, "You okay, mister?"

Struggling to his feet, the trembling man looked to Sonic, then Lancer, before running off, screaming, "I can't handle this!"

"You're welcome!" Sonic called after him.

Sonic then ducked, Lancer's spear just narrowly missing his head. Going into a roll, the hedgehog moved a meter before flipping back onto his feet. "Hey! Wassat for?"

Lancer retracted his weapon and got into a ready stance. "Sorry about that. I just get a little upset when someone interrupts my feeding."

"Feeding?" Sonic was confused- until he saw the body. Sonic's eyes widened as he felt the full impact of what he had prevented- and what he hadn't.

"That your work?" Sonic asked Lancer, trying to keep his voice steady. A storm of emotions was raging inside his mind.

Lancer shrugged, making Sonic angrier. "Yeah. Not pretty, I know, but a guy's gotta get his Mana somehow."

Sonic and Lancer circled each other, never letting the other out of his sight. Lancer had an eager grin on his face- he had no idea what Sonic was (Though he was reminded of those cat-things in the cafe, what was it called again?), he could tell that the creature had more Mana _and_ fighting power than the civilians he had been forced to hunt.

Sonic, on the other hand, was _not _smiling. Had Lancer known Sonic, the spearman would have found this very significant. Sonic had initially thought he had prevented a mugging, only to learn that it was a murder he had run into- a second murder, the first of which he had been too late to prevent. He wasn't going to let Lancer get away!

Sonic shot towards Sonic, faster than the Servant had been expecting. Lancer jabbed as Sonic, but the Hedgehog slid under the spear's blade, his momentum carrying him towards Lancer's legs. Lancer jumped to avoid being tripped up. Sonic jumped and rebounded off a wall, leaping back towards the spearman. But Lancer had already turned around, spear ready. Sonic just barely avoided the blade, stepping off of the handle and delivering a few punches to Lancer's face.

Lancer stumbled back and rubbed his jaw. Far from being angry, he impressed by Sonic's performance. "You're a nimble little guy," The Heroic Spirit commented, "But I think I'm getting the hang of your style. Only of time before I get to you."

Sonic causally twirled the red spear. "Might take a bit longer than you think, dude."

Lancer blanched. He hadn't realize he had dropped his spear! "Why, you-! Gimme that!"

Lancer rushed towards Sonic, but the Hedgehog was too swift and already running out of the alley. Sonic paused to look back and give the Hound a taunting look.

"Catch me if you can!" He shouted before taking off.

Lancer growled and took after Sonic. You did _not _mess with a man's spear!*

* * *

In another part of Fuyuki, a trio of youths- technically, there were four of them, but the fourth was in astral form- walked down the streets, two of them carrying the third. A few hours ago, high school student-slash-amature Mage Emiya Shirou had summoned, accidentally, inadvertently, the Servant Saber, a beautiful lady knight, who saved him from Lancer. Immediately afterwards, Saber attacked Servant Archer, and through that, Shirou learned that the school's idol, Tohsaka Rin, was Archer's Master, and a much more accomplished Mage. Rather than continue the fight, Rin took Shirou to the Fuyuki Church and register for the War for the Holy Grail. From the Church's head Kotomine Kirie, Shirou learned the truth of the Great Fire from ten years ago; that it had been the end result of the previous Grail War. Realizing that the current deaths were not gas leaks, but a Servant feeding off of the victims' Mana, Shirou chose to fight in the War alongside Saber. He had no interest in the Grail itself, but could not allow another tragedy to occur.

Then along came Illya.

After leaving the church, Shirou and co. were confronted by Illyasviel von Einzbern, a sweet little girl of a Mage with a capacity for cruelty as large as her Servant, a mass of muscles called Berserker. Saber and Archer fought back, but their attacks did little against the Heroic Spirit of Herakles. When it seemed that Saber would fall to Berserker's blade, Shirou did something that was acknowledged as a Very Stupid Thing To Do; he took the bullet, gallantly putting himself between his Servant and Illya's. As it was his life that kept Saber bound to the physical world, this made his heroic sacrifice very pointless. But instead of dying logically, Shirou survived, his body an inch away from being two, but still alive. Confused by Shirou's actions and impressed by Archer's abilities, Illya called it a night, promising to come again.

Now, Rin and Saber were carrying Shirou home, in spite of Archer's vocal advice that his master leave the idiot were he lay. Had Shirou been conscious, he would have had an un-gallant response.

Rin glanced for the umpteenth time at Shirou. Even now his body was regenerating at an incredible rate. It didn't make any sense. People normally die when they were killed. She knew that, but Shirou, a mage with such pour magic circuits that they might have been nonexistent, was defying this iron-clad rule. It made no sense!

Little did Rin realize, the rest of the War would be an ongoing assault on her perception on how the world worked.

The three of them were almost to the bridge when a Blue Blur suddenly bounced past them, followed by a _second _blur, also blue. The two that were blue bounced and ran around Rin, Saber and Shiro, engaged in an off-kilter game of Cat-and-Mouse** that had been squeezed into a pinball game.

Rin and Saber watched it all, getting headaches from trying to keep up with the action. Though they were moving too fast to be seen, one blur could be recognized from his voice as he held this intelligent conversation with the other blur.

"Get over here!"

"Nope."

"Give it back!"

"Not happening."

"GRAAH!"

"Too slow!"

"Lancer?" saber asked, blinking. She wondered if she had hit her head during the fight with Berserker. This comical scene couldn't possibly be real.

Lancer pounced an empty space once again, growling from the pavement as Sonic zipped out of his reach again. He then noticed that he had an audience. Straightening up, he put on a cool face; He believed he had a reputation, and wanted to preserve it.

"Yo, Saber," Lancer greeted smoothly, and nodded at Rin. "And Master of Archer," He glanced at Shirou. "What's with him?"

Shirou groaned. Had he been among the awoken, he would have had a sarcastic response ready.

"That is not your concern," Saber replied stiffly, tensing. This was bad. If Lancer started a fight now, she would be at a severe disadvantage. Wait, could Lancer fight? "Where is your spear?

Lancer cringed. The one topic he hoped would never arise. "Wwwell…"

POW!

Sonic dropped down onto Lancer from above, plowing the spearman into the street under his sneakers.

"I got it!" The Hedgehog declared. He then noticed the trio before him. Shirou's eyes- bleary, unfocused- met Sonic's. "Whoa, what happened to him? Is he alright?"

Saber and Rin didn't say anything. They weren't sure how to respond- or what they would be responding to.

"_Get offa me!_" Lancer shouted, standing up abruptly.

Sonic fell off Lancer's back, rolling several feet behind to avoid being hurt, and dropped the red spear. Lancer quickly scooped it up and took a fighting stance, the tip pointed directly at Sonic's chest. While he liked a decent fight, and his coward of a Master wasn't letting him find him until now, this high-speed game of Ring Around The Rosy wasn't what he had in mind. Sonic didn't act like a decent warrior. He was more like a clown or acrobat, treating their battle like a show for an unseen audience, never facing his opponent head-on, like Saber did. Sonic just danced about, egging Lancer on but never fighting back, aside from the odd strike when Lancer was distracted- like he did just then! It was time to end this.

"_Gae Bolg!_"

As a warrior chosen to fight in the Heaven's Feel, the Holy Grail had granted Lancer powers and weapons based on his myth- A Noble Phantasm. Lancer's was his spear; when invoked, it would seek out his victim's heart, even piercing through causality to reach it. By the time its name was pronounced, his opponent, unless they had protection of equal or greater rank, would be dead. That was the ancient rule.

But something new had been added.

Lancer's spear struck Sonic, but instead of becoming a spiny blue shish-ka-bob, the Hedgehog's body was knocked back by the tip of the spearhead. Gold rings, not blood, exploded from his body, vanishing as they dropped to the ground.

"AAAARRGGHH!" Sonic cried. Even though the Power Rings protected his body from being damaged, he could still feel the pain from the strike. In this case, it felt a million times worse than all of the other times he had run into spikes.

Around Sonic, all parties were thunderstruck, none more than Lancer. "What they Hell? How did you survive that!?" It was embarrassing enough that Shirou survived, but Sonic wasn't even wounded!

"Uh…you weren't moving like that before. How…" As he shook off the pain, Sonic's eyes narrowed. "Wait…it's not your speed, you're using that spear to warp!"

"Dammit!" Lancer gripped his spear and prepared to attack. Though he wasn't visibly wounded, Sonic definitely seemed hurt by the previous strike. Maybe if he used repeated attacks… "_Gae-_"

Pow! Lancer stumbled back as Sonic's feet slammed into his face. The Hedgehog wasn't going to let Lancer use his power again, that was for sure. With his soles pressed against the Hound's cheeks, Sonic made another grab for the red spear, but was shaken off before he could get it.

"Cut that out!" Lancer shouted, taking another swipe at the Hedgehog. Sonic evaded the spear, doing a backflip that put him between Lancer and the others. Glancing back at the girls (and Shirou), Sonic knew that he couldn't fight seriously while there was a chance that group could be caught in the crossfire- a reservation that Lancer didn't seem to have. Sonic needed to move the fight away from any innocents if he wanted to take the spearman down.

Dodging another attempted stab, Sonic ran up to Lancer and gave his a punch. "Tag! You're it!"

And with that, Sonic sped off, with Lancer yelling as he followed close behind.

After that, silence ruled. The only sound in the lull came from Shirou, who was now healthy enough to be conscious. He asked, "What…just happened?"

* * *

Sonic led Lancer out towards a highway. At this time of night, there were no are on the road. The perfect place for a rumble, in Sonic's opinion.

The two chased each other down the highway, making hit and run tactics as best why could. Lancer tried to stab Sonic multiple times, which the Hedgehog dodged. In between jabs Sonic would make his own strikes at Lancer, using his Homing Attack whenever he saw an opening. While Sonic technically had better luck than Lancer in the scoring hits department, Lancer didn't seem too affected by the Hedgehog's blows- if anything, he got more and more riled up as the fight went on. Sonic knew he needed to pull out the big guns.

Sonic stopped, and Lancer shot ahead several hundred meters before realizing what had happened. The spearman squinted as he tried to look at the blue speck in the distance.

_'What's he up to now?'_ Lancer thought.

Sonic shot forward, not going at the speeds he had been at before- this was much faster. Sonic rarely did this, it was too dangerous, and could cause significant property damage. It was also hard to find a place where he could build up the velocity safely, for him and other people. But the most important thing would be the timing; Sonic had hit it just as he was passing Lancer, or it would all be a waste.

Seeing Sonic's charge, the Servant in question braced himself. His instincts told him that Sonic was planning to attack with all his might. If his timing was right, though, he would use the Hedgehog's own speed to skewer him into his spear.

But when Sonic reached Lancer, something happened that the spearman hadn't been expecting.

_**BOOM**_

The air around Lancer exploded with a force he had never experienced, tossing him like a rag doll off the highway. As his eardrums rattled, the Heroic Spirit of Cu Chulainn had one last thought before darkness claimed him;

"I hate that hedgehog."

Sonic grinned as he watched Lancer's body fly through the air. However, because of that, Sonic didn't see the sign he passed, the one that said, "Road Incomplete". He _did _see that further ahead the road ended, becoming an impromptu ramp. Unfortunately, Sonic was going far too fast to stop in time, and so the sound-barrier breaking momentum carried him off the pavement and into the air…

…Almost ethereal, Sonic's form became a silhouette agains the moon…

…and the Hedgehog was falling back down to Fuyuki…

* * *

Emiya Shirou sighed. So far, tonight had been very stressful. Even cooking wasn't doing much to take the edge off. The weight of everything that had happened continued to press on him; Almost getting killed by Lancer, summoning Saber, learning about the war from Kotomine, and finally, almost dying _again_, this time at the hands of the monstrous Berserker. It was a blessing he had even survived.

And then there was that blue creature. At first, Shirou had though it been a pain-induced hallucination, but after (Somehow) recovering, Rin and Saber had confirmed that, yes, a midget-animal in sneakers had thrown Lancer around.

One good thing had happened, though. In the face of all that they had seen, Rin proposed an alliance to deal with Berserker, and that blue creature (The word "Hedgehog" appeared and vanished in Shirou's mind). Shirou was glad to have her help- while he had no desire for the grail's wish, he would need aid protecting the civilians- if Rin was as good at Magecraft as she was at schoolwork, then she would be a tremendous asset.

Shirou finished in the kitchen and served his and Saber's late dinner. Though it was a simple meal of sushi and rice, Saber gladly dove into it, asking for seconds before Shirou could even finish his first portion.

After her Master complied, Saber said, "Shirou, if I had a cook like you during my time, meals would have been a dream."

"Really?" Shirou asked, pleased to hear that his cooking had her approval. "What were the chefs like in your era?"

The air became very cold, and so did Saber's expression. "Not as good."

The steel in Saber's voice was sharper than the sword she wielded earlier. In that instant, Shirou swore to never bring up the topic again, and to always be on time with meals.

With that distressing subject passed, eating resumed. Before Saber could properly berate Shirou for stupidly jumping in front Berserker's sword, and implore him to never do it again, they heard a "Whump!" from outside.

"What was that?" Shirou asked, getting up.

Saber was already on her feet. "Shirou, stay here!" She ordered, heading towards the yard. As she moved, she felt her Master's presence following her, to her dismay.

Outside, they saw what had made the noise. Lying face first in the grass was Lancer's opponent.

* * *

Shirou and Saber took Sonic into the Emiya Estate dojo and waited for him to wake up. They did not have to wait long. Sonic's eyes fluttered a bit, then he pushed himself up. Saber and Sonic tensed, unsure what to expect.

"Ugh…where am I…?" Sonic asked, looking around blearily. When he saw the Master and Servant, it took him a few moments to remember that he had seen them before and where. "Hey, aren't you two…"

"You're in the training hall of my family's home," Shirou explained, "We found you passed out in my backyard and brought you in here."

"Cool. Thanks for that," Sonic jumped into a backflip onto his feet. "I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog, by the way."

"Emiya Shirou," The red-haired teen returned, and gestured to Saber. "This is Saber."

"It is nice to meet you," Saber greeted, nodding formally. "Sonic…could you please tell us how appeared on this property?"

"Well, you saw that guy I was fighting, right?" Sonic began, "When I saw how normal hits weren't working, so I gave him a Sonic Boom. Problem was, I was moving too fast and ended up flying off the highway."

"Why were you on the highway?" Shirou asked.

"Less property damage," Sonic explained, and grinned cheekily. "See, when I call it a Sonic Boom, I'm not being egotistical…not _too _much, anyway."

Shirou stared, thunderstruck by what Sonic was implying. "…You can move fast enough to break the sound barrier?" 'What _are _you?'

"Yeah, but I try not to in cities. All that broken glass, y'know?"

There was a brief silence as Master and Servant processed this.

"What _are _you, Sonic?" Saber asked, speaking Shirou's mind. "I have never seen a creature like you before in this world, and you are capable of fighting a Servant on equal ground.

"'This world'?" Sonic repeated. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot in thought. After a moment, he slapped his forehead. "Awww, man! I must gotten blasted into another dimension! I hate it when that happens!"

At Shirou and Saber's confusion, Sonic regaled them with his adventure aboard the Egg Saucer. Once he was done…their confusion wasn't abated in the least. If anything, they had even more questions.

"But, how could a machine send you from your world to ours?" Shirou asked, trying to wrap his head around it. As far as he knew, travel between universes was one of few True Magics, Magecraft that could not be replicated by technology.

"The Chaos Emeralds," Sonic answered, "These gemstones with all sorts of power in 'em. There are seven, and if you get them all, the ultimate power is unleashed. Eggman had them powering his Genesis Ray."

"Incredible…" Was all Shirou could say. Earlier, he would have said it was impossible, but after what he had seen tonight, and who he was talking to, he couldn't. His skepticism was burned out.

"Now, you need to answer a few of my questions," Sonic said, "What's this Servant you were talking about? I don't think you meant a a maid or butler."

There was a brief pause as Shirou and Saber considered their next move. Finally, it was Shirou who broke the silence. "A Servant is a Heroic Spirit, a legendary warrior summoned by magic into the physical world to fight for the Holy Grail."

Saber gave her Master a startled look. "Shirou-!"

"Saber, it's better that he knows," Shirou argued, "He's already taken on Lancer and won- it won't hurt anything for him to have the full story."

"But…"

"I know what the rules are, that's why we have to tell Sonic," Shirou explained, "If not, he might expose the War by accident."

Saber frowned, but did not argue. She did not want to admit it, but Sonic had faired far better against Lancer than she had during their brief clash. However, he seemed to have a devil-may-care attitude born of arrogance- and that always brought about disaster. They were fortunate that Sonic and Lancer had fought at night. Had the two dueled during the day, there would no way to cover it up; Sonic's very existence could expose the existence of Magecraft. He needed to know to be more discreet. And so, Shirou told Sonic about Magecraft, what little he knew, and about what he learned about the Holy Grail War from Kotomine.

"So that guy, Lancer, is what, some kinda magic ghost?" Sonic asked, tapping his feet.

"If that helps you understand it…" Shirou replied, "Servant's can still be killed though, and, excepting the special abilities they receive from their legends, have the same weaknesses humans have."

"Okay, but why all this…codename stuff?"

"The Holy Grail gives a Heroic Spirit summoned as a Servant powers and abilities based on their legend," Saber answered, "That includes any weaknesses they might have. If one knows their legend, then one can also determine their powers and flaws."

"Like, if you knew you were fighting Achilles, you'd know to go after his heel?" Sonic asked.

"Correct," Saber nodded, glad to see Sonic catching on. "That is why I am known only as Saber for this War. It is in my best interests that my true name be hidden."

Sonic rubbed his nose in thought. "So, is there a way to figure out a Servant's myth? Or do we just ask real nicely?"

"We just need to be observant," Saber told him, "If knowing their name could help us figure out their abilities, then the inverse is true. Though we might get lucky and some overconfident Servant might just give us their name as a gesture of faith." She couldn't help but think about the Fourth War's Rider, who brazenly declared himself as Alexander the Great. It was unlikely that someone that boisterous would appear this time around, but as she had seen, the world sometimes threw a curveball when least expected to.

Sonic grunted and closed his eyes. "But are the Servants in this thing really heroes? I caught Lancer trying to kill someone," He opened his eyes slightly and looked at the floor. "After he had already gutted someone else…"

Shirou saw the pain in Sonic's eyes. It was the same pain he himself felt every time he heard about the 'mysterious deaths' on the news. In that instance, Shirou felt a kinship to this abnormal creature from another world.

"Sonic, you must understand that even though Heroic Spirits are famed in song and legend as paragons, they are, or were, human beings once," Saber said, "And they lived in turbulent times, constantly surrounded by death. I understand your disapproval, but to some of these Spirits the deaths of ordinary people in pursuit of the Grail is a minor consequence."

"But why?" Sonic asked, "I mean, Servants are supposed to fight other Servants, so what's the point of going after bystanders?"

"I talked about this with another Master I know earlier," Shirou put in. He decided that he wouldn't mention Rin by name just yet. She was going to have a fit when she learned that he told an 'outsider' about the War. "We think it's because Lancer's Master can't supply him with Prana. Each Servant is supposed to receive Prana from their Master, but some Master's aren't strong enough give them the amount they need to use their Noble Phantasm." _I know I'm not._

"Right, the magic weapon thing," Sonic rubbed his chest. "I think I got a bruise from where Lancer tried to skewer me."

Now was the perfect time Saber to ask what was to her the most important question. "Sonic, how _did _you survive Lancer's Noble Phantasm?"

Sonic reached into the glove on his left hand and pulled out something gold. "Power Rings. These babies will protect you from any damage, _especially _the kind from pointy objects."

He tossed Saber one Ring, and she examined it closely. It was small, but she could sense a measure of energy emitting from it. If she hadn't seen it happen, she wouldn't believe that the Ring could stop Lancer's _Gae Bolg. _She held it towards Shirou for her Master to see. He wished he had some when Lancer and Berserker attacked, at which point the still wounded area where Berserker's sword had hit tingled, making Shirou twitched slightly.

"How much protection can you get from one Ring?" Shirou asked, amazed.

"Just one's enough for anything," Sonic answered, "But they fall out from wherever you're holding them when you get hit and vanish after a few seconds. The more you have the easier it'll be to scoop some back up."

Just one… "Would you mind if I kept this?" Shirou asked, taking the Ring from Saber.

Sonic shrugged. "Nah, I've got twelve more. In fact…" He tossed a second Ring to Saber. "You can have one, too. Never hurts to have a little insurance, right?"

Saber's hand closed over the Ring slowly. "…No, I suppose it does not." While she did not like having to borrow another's power, after her failure in the Fourth War, and the loss of her scabbard, Saber did not want to take any chances. And if Shirou was going to continue being needlessly reckless, then he would require some additional protection. Though if her hunch was correct…

"Hey, this has been bugging me," Sonic piped up, "But if every Master in this War some kind of wizard-"

"Mage." Shirou corrected automatically.

"Huh?"

"The Masters are mages, not wizards." Shirou explained, "Mages perform Magecraft, which is magic that can be reproduced by technology. A wizard can use one of the True Magics-"

Sonic held up a hand "'Kay…not really caring. Point is, can _you _do magic?"

Shirou nodded, though a little annoyed his exposition was cut off. "Yes, I'm a mage…though not a very good one. I summoned Saber by accident. And half the time, the spells I know don't work."

Sonic tapped his foot thoughtfully. "So…what kind of magic can you do?"

"Just three kinds," Shirou replied, and held up three fingers. "Reinforcement, Structural Analysis, and Projection."

"What, what, and what?"

"Reinforcement is, strictly speaking, the strengthening of a physical object. More specifically, it's the pushing a basis to the utmost," Shirou explained. It felt odd talking about this with someone who didn't already know Magecraft. Before he found out Rin was a mage, the only other one he knew was his deceased foster father, Kiritsugi. "For example, I could make a rolled-up newspaper as hard a steel rod, or a knife sharper, or even improve my eyesight."

Sonic hummed, and was gone in a flash. Less than a second passed before Sonic returned. He had something in his hand.

It was a rolled-up newspaper.

"Show me." The Hedgehog said.

Shirou took the paper, and concentrated. "Trace On."

As always when he practiced Magecraft, he felt a sensation like a hit metal rod being put in his spine as he formed Mage Circuits. This time, however, there was a faint buzz that he barely acknowledged…

_I .. … …. .. .. sw..d…_

Shirou held the paper out to Sonic. "Try bending it."

Sonic did so. The newspaper folded easily in his grip. Sonic raised an eyebrow, his face otherwise expressionless. Off to the side, Saber had her head lowered.

"I _said _I wasn't good at magic." Shirou defended weakly.

"So…what were the other two?" Sonic asked.

Still embarrassed at his failure, Shirou said, "Structural Analysis and Projection. The first is what it sounds like sounds like- I use my Magecraft to analyze a physical object- what it's made of, its history, and so forth."

"That sounds…kinda boring." Sonic noted.

"It's actually my useful magic," Shriou defended, "I've been able to fix all sorts of things by…" Shirou trailed off under Sonic's unimpressed gaze. He decided to move on. "Projection is the materialization of a physical object into the world. It's basically creating something from nothing."

Sonic brightened. "Now, _that _sounds awesome. You just snap your fingers if you need something, and poof, it's there?"

"It's…not as easy as it sounds," Shirou said weakly, "I've never been good at it. And my mentor always said it was a worthless skill to have, anyway."

"Why's that?"

Shirou sighed. "Everything created by the spell is weaker than the original, and it's existence can be broken easily. There's no point."

"Geez, with that attitude, no wonder you suck," Sonic groaned, "Look, man, I don't know anything about magic, but I do know that you're not gonna get good at anything if you don't have a little confidence. I know it sounds corny, but you can do a lot if you just believe in yourself."

Shirou was about to protest, to tell Sonic that he was being too idealistic, but found that he couldn't. He looked to Saber, and found that she was now looking at him with a cool intensity. Her expression was neutral, but she seemed to be…searching for something? Shirou looked back at Sonic helplessly.

"I just said you suck, bro," Sonic reminded, "You wanna let that slide?"

And that's when Shirou realized why he couldn't refuse Sonic. He dreamed of being a hero someday, but his aspirations were not taken seriously by his peers. "There's no such thing anymore" The more vindictive of them had said, and even close friends merely regarded his goals as childish. But now, standing in front of him was a hero; He may have looked like something that belonged in an American anime, and he had a cocky attitude that was a bit too much like the kind held by his estranged friend Shinji Matou, but somewhere in Sonic's eyes Shirou could see a strength, a conviction…a will similar to his own.

And now this hero from another world was trying to determine his strength. Shirou couldn't let himself look uncool now!

"…No, I'm not." The Master of Saber said. But what to Project? Seeing as they were in a training hall, he decided on a kendo training sword.

Holding out his hand and forming his circuits, Shirou said his invocation.

"_Trace On._"

* * *

Out in the backyard of the Emiya Estate was a shed. From the outside, it was not terribly interesting to look at. Currently, Shirou used it as both a storage room for the various repair jobs, and as a place where he practiced his Magecraft. In the center of the shed's floor, surrounded by the piles of fixed objects, a magic circle had been left there. It was formed by the previous tenant of the estate.

And it was now glowing.

Underneath the floorboards it sat, just waiting to be found. The yellow gem had not been there until a few short hours ago, but now it seemed to have always been existed in that place.

It's light began to flicker.

* * *

Shirou suddenly felt something akin to an explosion within him. This was followed by a sensation like his nerves being set on fire- no, not _on _fire. It was more like his nerves _becoming _fire. But what happened next was much, much, worse.

"_AAAARRRGGHH!_" Shirou screamed in pain as swords, yellow energy shaped like swords, began to rip their way out from his body. Saber and Sonic rushed to the young mage's aid, only stunned by half a second by this development.

And just as sudden as it happened, it ended. The yellow energy-swords vanished and Shirou collapsed. Both Saber and Sonic caught Shirou's body before it hit the floor, and after gently putting him down, they saw just how bad the damage was. Unlike the great cleave delivered by Berserker, the wounds that Shirou now had were less clean and more numerous. Despite the rage that gripped his mind, Berserker had been quite efficient in trying to rend Shirou in two. Gruesome, but professional. Now though, Shirou's body looked as if someone had done a hack job (Pun unintended), with multiple messy, bloody holes…that were now healing?

Sonic looked blurry, a visual effect of fidgeting at sonic-speed. "Ohmanomanoman! Where's the hospital?! I'll zip him over there!"

"Sonic!" Saber ordered, "There's a first-aid kit in the kitchen, under the sink!"

Sonic was gone the minute Saber said "kitchen" and back before should say "sink". He also had a phone in his other hand, along with some a roll of paper towels under his arm. The two quickly set to clueing Shirou's wounds, and all the while Sonic kept talking.

"…istheemergencynumbernineoneoneherethisguyneedshelpmaybewecanrigawheelchair-"

"That will not be necessary." Saber cut in as she applied disinfectant. She saw Shirou wince in pain, relieved that he still had the strength to do so.

"What are you saying!? Shirou's…_getting better?_"

Sonic stopped, stunned at what he was seeing. But he could not deny that Shirou's torn flesh was regrowing!

"But…how?" Sonic closed his eyes and tapped the side of his head. "Right, magic."

Yes, it was magic, and more importantly, it was a kind Saber understood all too well. She now held no doubts. The only way this amateur mage could have both summoned her and recover from such serious injury was because of Avalon- her lost sheath. The fact that Shirou shared the same family name as her previous master, Kiritsugi (AKA, 'The double-crossing assassin that stole victory when it was within her grasp'), only strengthened the notion.

But why was Avalon's power now acting twice as much? Was the Power Ring Sonic lent Shirou bolstering the sheath somehow?

Regardless, there wasn't much for Sonic and Saber to do except wait for Shirou to heal himself, helping wherever they could. A half hour had passed before Shirou opened his eyes.

"Saber…?" The young mage murmured.

"Shirou." Saber's stoic face relaxed slightly. She was on her knees next to Shirou as he lay on the training hall floor. On Shirou's other side was Sonic, sitting on his rear. He had a guilty expression on- no doubt he felt responsible for the incident, having encouraged Shirou to cast the spell.

"You okay, man?" The Hedgehog asked tentatively, reaching out to Shirou.

"Yeah," Shirou replied. Seeing Sonic's face, he added, "I don't know what happened. The spell's never done that before."

Sonic grinned mirthlessly. "Well, uh, it's a good thing you can heal, right?"

"…Yeah, good thing."

Shirou found himself starting to grin as well. His body still hurt in places, but the pain was rapidly fading. And he knew now that he and Saber had a new ally to fight in the Holy War.

Saber, meanwhile, found her eyes drifting towards the Command Seals on Shirou's hand. They symbolized the bond between the two of them, and allowed Shirou three "Absolute Orders", commands given through the ritual that she could not refuse. It may have been her imagination, but now it seemed that the seals were glowing…

_This is going to be a very different war._ The Heroic Spirit thought.

She had no idea how right she was.

* * *

Having established both that Shirou was not going to die and an alliance with Team Saber, Rin decided that she and Archer should call it a night. Too much had happened tonight, and they both needed to collect their thoughts on what they had seen. Meeting Illya and her monster of Servant had been scary enough, but seeing that weird blue creature fighting Lancer blew whatever expectations about the Holy Way out of the water- for different reasons.

Rin could only suppose that Lancer's opponent- whatever it was- was some sort of animal spirit, or perhaps a familiar summoned by the Caster of this war. She would have to consult her family library on the subject, and hope to find an answer. She recalled the horrible monsters brought forth by the Fourth War's Caster, and shuddered slightly, knowing how close she came to being killed by both them and that Caster's twisted Master. She could only hope that the Caster this time- and their Master- was of a slightly more stable character.

Archer, meanwhile, had another concern. He was a unique Heroic Spirit, being from the future. Summoned across time by Rin's attempt to summon "The Strongest Servant" (A ritual he privately, albeit arrogantly, believed to have succeeded), Archer hoped to change his own miserable future by murdering his past self, believing that the paradox would erase himself from existence. Anything would be better than the living Hell his own foolish idealism put himself into.

But the appearance of that spiny blue guy in sneakers threw a monkey wrench into those hopes. Archer's memories of the Fifth War may have been vague, but he was pretty sure nothing like that creature had appeared. Either his summons had altered the timeline more than he thought, or he was in a completely alternate universe altogether.

Before Archer could put more thought into the subject, he saw a column of smoke far ahead- right where the Tohsaka mansion was!

"Rin, stay here!" Archer ordered, and rushed ahead before his Master could respond. Reinforcing his legs, he made good time and saw that, thankfully, the large Western-style house wasn't on fire. The grounds behind the house, on the other hand, were now a total mess. And in the center of that mess was a damaged vehicle with smoke coming out where the engine probably was.

_Archer, what is it? _Rin asked through their telepathic bond, _What's going on?_

_Someone's crashed a plane into your backyard._

_What?!_

It was a red, high-tech bi-plane of sorts. On its side was the word "SONIC" and on its tail fin was a picture of a star within a winged red ring. The wings of the plane itself had broken off in the crash, and other pieces of metal were scattered around the yard. And in the cockpit, slumped over and unconscious, was a small, furry creature of a pilot…a little person very much like a fox.

With two tails.

Archer thought, _a kitsune?_

* * *

Despite of how easy it looks on television, entering another dimension was no simple trick. Depending on how you went about it, doing so would cause vibrations anyone could feel. Because it happened during their fight with Berserker, neither Team Saber or Team Archer had felt the shock of the worlds tearing open to let Sonic and company in. The other mages in Fuyuki, however, were all too aware that something big had happened. The fact that for one brief moment, all magecraft within the city had been bolstered gave them more reason to send out all manner of familiars and divinations to investigate this phenomena.

At the gate of the Ryuudou Temple, the Servant Assassin sighed. He had felt the strange vibrations in the region, followed shortly after by the sound of an explosion of sorts coming from the highway. He would have loved to go out and investigate- Any reason to get away from his current 'master' and her endless fawning over _her _master- but was bound to remain at his post as a sentry…a glorified guard dog.

_I'm so bored_, Assassin thought, _Maybe I should ask that boy Issei if he'd bring me a book or something._

Then Assassin saw a small figure walk up the steps toward the gate. It was a small animal-person of sorts, with red fur, spiked gloves, and sneakers. Around his head hung several dreadlock-like quills.

"Oh? It's not often we receive visitors at this hour," Assassin noted aloud, "Is there something I can help you with, little one?"

Knuckles grimaced at the 'Little one' remark, and said, "Yeah, I'm a little lost. Where am I?"

"You are at the entrance of the Ryuudou Temple, in the city of Fuyuki, my red friend."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "Fuyuki? Where's that in relation to Station Square?"

Assassin's smile dropped somewhat. "I'm afraid I'venever heard of such a place. Is that where you're from?"

Knuckles groaned and rubbed his face. So the explosion sent him to an entirely different world._ That _figured.

Assassin said, "I see from the look on your face that you seem to be a long way from your home."

"Brother, you have no idea."

Assassin put on a sympathetic smile. "Well, I would like to offer you a place to rest, but sadly, the old bag I have to call Master has a strict policy against visitors. She's a bit of a cheapskate, you see."

"Now, Assassin, don't tell lies."

Assassin turned his head and Knuckles looked past the samurai's shoulders. Walking towards them was a beautiful adult woman, who's features above her nose were hidden by purple hood that extended into an elaborate cape.

"I may enjoy my privacy, but I could _never _turn out a lost soul into the night," Caster said, and to Knuckles asked, "Why don't you come in, and tell me what's troubling you? Perhaps I can help."

Knuckles looked at Assassin, who shrugged in response. The Psuedo-Servant had no real interest in what happened, but Knuckles took his act to mean, "She's trustworthy, go right in."

"All right, I need to get my head straight anyway. Thanks." Knuckles replied, walking past Assassin.

Caster's smile grew even more.

* * *

Amy Rose walked through a dark ally. Though she didn't know it, she was in a bad part of Fuyuki, but she did know that her friends were no where in sight. Thankfully, there were no evil robots, but this was a small comfort. Alone and in an unfamiliar place, only past experience kept Amy cool in the face of the unknown.

The pink hedgehog shivered. Maybe it was too cool. There was a chill in the air that she didn't like.

_I wonder how Sonic and the guys do it, going around in just gloves and shoes. _Amy thought, then spotted something odd in the distance.

It was a human with short cut light red hair, dressed in a dark red suit. Getting closer, Amy saw that it was woman, though the distinction was hard to make in the dark- the slight curves around her body helped. One of the sleeves for her suit was gone, torn off, apparently. She seemed to be sitting against a wall, staring at her bare arm.

"Um, are you all right?" Amy called out as she approached the woman. She could now see that this was a silly question, as this stranger, judging from how ruffled her clothes were, had certainly been in a fight. Judging from the bruises and cuts all over her body, it was must have been a very bad one…

Amy felt something sticky under her heel, and looked down. It was difficult to see in the night, but it looked like a red liquid…

Amy heard a soft thud, and saw that the woman had fallen over. Putting the sticky red stuff and the woman's condition together equaled…

Amy gasped and rushed to the stranger's aid. Pulling her up as best as she could with her smaller frame, Amy looked around, trying to figure out what to do or where to go.

"Hey! Is anyone else here?!" Amy cried out into the night, "_Anyone!?_" When Amy received no answer, she decided that the next logical thing to do was to take the woman herself. Dragging this injured person out of the ally as comfortably as she could, Amy said to her charge, "Don't worry, I'll find you some help, just hold on!"

Because she was so focused on the task at hand, she didn't hear Bazett Fraga McRemitz moan, "My…arm…"

* * *

Chaos was not destruction. Chaos was not anarchy. And it certainly wasn't spelled with a K. Chaos was change. Whether it was a small gust of wind that blew into a tidal wave, or the large meteor that possibly killed the dinosaurs, or even the decision chaos was the unknown factor that made sure the best laid plans of mice and men (And women, some of whom are sticklers for unnecessary details) did not have such a smooth course. Bumps in the road of life.

One of those bumps was forming in the ominous Matou mansion, triggered by the energy given off by Shirou's warped*** attempt at Projection. In her gloomy living space, Sakura Matou woke from her sleep. Shivering, she tried to determine what had happened. She felt a strange flicker, like a static shock, only inside of her mind. She hoped her grandfather had not decided to give some supplementary "training". God knew he did enough to her already…

"Can't sleep, huh?"

Sakura's eyes widened and she turned on the lamp. Looking around she saw something…peculiar.

A shadowy figure was now in her room. No, it wasn't shadowy…it _was _a shadow. It looked like vaguely humanoid silhouette sitting in the center of the floor. At first, it was pure black, with no features, but then a red-crescent appeared on its 'head' to form a bizarre smile of sorts.

"What are you…?" Sakura whispered.

the shadow-thing began to shake, making a "hn-hn-hn" noise. Sakura's first thought was that the creature was crying, but then she realized that it was just the opposite; the shadow was _laughing._

"What are you?" Sakura repeated, louder this time.

The shadow's tilted its blob-like head, and then turned towards Sakura, although without eyes the young lady wasn't sure what it's intentions were.

Then a voice came from the shadow. It was small, but it had a resonance that stirred something within Sakura.

"I have heard the call and have answered the summons," The shadow said, "I am Servant Avenger."

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

*Not an innuendo

** Or, Hound-and-Hedgehog

*** "Failed" would not be appropriate term to use. Technically, Shirou _did _Project something…

* * *

_Tiger Dojo_

**Taiga:** Hohhhh! Welcome, young ones! Are you doing well? Appearing now from the ends of space, it's the Tiger Dojo! I am your instructor, Fujimura Taiga, Gaaow!

**Illya: **And the number one student, Illya! Please treat me with respect!

**Taiga: **I suppose you are wondering what we are doing now. Number one student, answer!

**Illya: **Right! In the original visual novel, _Fate/Stay Night_, the Tiger Dojo was a special corner that provides tips and advice for stupid players whose poor decisions led to Shirou getting a bad end. Now, though, we are here to answer any questions you might have for this crossover. In short, we are the structure that keeps the house of "Fate" standing proud and erect!

**Taiga: **Excellent! Yes, this Dojo is the foundation that holds "Fate" up! Now, our first question comes from Ms. Miyu. She writes, "Dear Tiger Dojo, how is it that Sonic can fight Lancer so effortlessly? Aren't Servants supposed to be beyond the capabilities of mortal beings?" The answer to that is simple: _Sonic is awesome!_

**Illya: **That answer's _too _simple…

**Taiga: **Sonic fights killer robots, destructive demons, mutants, evil genies, and even Gods! He is far beyond what any human can do! Lancer was outmatched from the very beginning!

**Illya: **I don't know, up until the Boom, Sonic didn't seem to be hurting Lancer very much…more like annoying him.

**Taiga: **Wrong! _(Hits Illya)_

**Illya: **Ow…the dreaded _Tora-Shina_…! To think it would be unleashed so suddenly…!

**Taiga: **Sonic was only extending the fight because he believed Lancer was an ordinary human being. Once he decided that holding back wasn't going to cut it, he unleashed his killer technique and won hands down. Also, it's possible that the Chaos Emeralds entering Fuyuki may have disrupted the natural flow of power.

**Illya: **Like how Shirou almost killed himself doing magic?

**Taiga: **Perhaps. And remember, while Sonic is perfectly used to fighting weird guys like Lancer, Lancer's never fought anyone like Sonic before. It was a matter of superior experience. Their next battle may be more even now that Lancer knows what he's dealing with. Now, read the next question, Student No. 1!

**Illya: **This comes from someone named Ruby. Ruby writes, "I want Saber to fight a robot!" Hey, that's not a question!

**Taiga: **Saber will definitely fight a robot! And so will everyone else! Student No. 1, do the disclaimer!

**Illya: **_Sonic _is owned by Sega, and _Fate_ is owned by Type-Moon.

**Taiga: **That concludes the Q&amp;A! I will see you at the next practice!

**Illya: **See you soon, everyone!


	2. Disillusion

Chapter 2_: Disillusion_

Far out in the ocean, the _Egg Saucer _floated. It was like an gaudy, overly technical piece of litter, or an exaggerated bath toy thrown in the river of life. It was far enough from Asia that no one in the continent noticed its abrupt appearance…for now.

In the battleship's central control station, Dr. Eggman worked tirelessly on a computer, trying to assess just what he had lost…and what he could salvage. In stations lower than his own, the doctor's robot assistants, Orbot and Cubot, also worked, examining other, less vital components of the _Egg Saucer_.

"Well, what's the damage?" Eggman demanded as he analyzed the Genesis Ray through his terminal. So far it _seemed _like it could be fixed…

"Judging from this preliminary scan, it appears as though we lost the Chaos Emeralds in the crash," Orbot reported. He rubbed his round head in thought. "With the absence of the emeralds, we have no way to maintain flight capabilities. Also, before the accident, Amy Rose and Knuckles the Echinda attacked our Egg Pod storage facility, so Badnik production is at a standstill."

"Figures," Eggman grumbled, "What's our position? How long before GUN sends an agent?"

"I'm…not sure if they'll be able to," Orbot responded slowly, as if confused. "I've been tapping into radio and satellite transmissions, and I don't recognize any of the data being streamed. Furthermore, I've examined the positions of the stars- none of the constellations matches our current star charts. I can only presume that we've been knocked a bit further off the map than we're used to."

"You mean we've been shot into another world?" Eggman groaned, and slapped his forehead. "Not again! I _hate _it when that happens! They _never _haveanything I like on TV…"

"I got some good news, boss," Cubot piped up, "I can't find a trace of Sonic or his friends aboard. They musta fallen off and drowned!"

"I'll believe _that _when I see it," Eggman grumbled, "No, not even then. I once shot that pest into space and he _still _came back! No, until we can examine the bodies for clarity, we're putting Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy under MIA."

A beeping began, catching the attention of the rogue scientist and his automated adjutants. Eggman pushed a button on his own terminal to investigate the matter. His screen switched from a read-out on the Genesis Ray's diagnostics to display a radar map, showing Eggman the shapes of unfamiliar landmasses. On a smaller island-nation, a bright yellow dot could be seen flashing very quickly.

"We're picking the energy of a Chaos Emerald!" The mad doctor chortled, and slapped his hands together. "Excellent!"

"Don't you mean, '_eggsellent_'?" Cubot asked cheerily. He got looks of irritation (From Eggman) and bewilderment (From Orbot) in return. The yellow robot retracted into his cube-mode in shame.

"…No," Eggman replied, and turned back to his terminal. "Looks like it's coming from the largest island in our general vicinity."

"Should I prepare your Egg Mobile?" Orbot asked, floating up to Dr. Eggman.

"No, I need to oversee the repairs to the _Egg Saucer_. No way I'm leaving it to you two after the half-baked job you did for my Big Boy." Eggman growled, giving Orbot a mean glare. He was somewhat pleased to see the red robot retract into his own orb-mode in shame.

"But, if you are not going, what are we going to do?" Orbot asked, "We have no Badniks to spare."

Eggman smirked. "No, but I still have my sub-bosses."

He entered a command, and his screen went to a view of one of the _Egg Saucer_'s hanger bays. The camera panned over several large and menacing-looking robots, until stopping on what looked like a big, red, flying saucer.

"I'll think I'll send Arms." The evil doctor decided, the light from the computer screen gleaming ominously off of his glasses.

* * *

It was early morning at the Emiya home, and Shirou woke up feeling surprisingly energetic. Taking a stretch, he took off his shirt to feel the places on his body where Berserker's sword, and later, the energy blades he created, had almost ripped it to shreds. He was surprised and a bit scared to find there was no trace of the injuries- not even the faintest scar.

_Well, it's probably better that way, _Shirou decided, putting his shirt back on as he got up. _It would attract too much attention if people thought I was attacked. Fuji-_Nee _would flip if she thought I was getting into fights, and Sakura would worry about me too…_

Thinking about his guardian and self-proclaimed "Big sister" Fujimura Taiga and and his underclassman from school Matou Sakura reminded Shirou that he had to make breakfast- the two ladies always showed up at his house in the morning for the meal, Sakura to prepare, and Taiga to mooch. While Shirou didn't so much mind the latter, he was always embarrassed at how much Sakura tried to do around the house.

On his way to the kitchen, Shirou stopped at another room to check up on Saber. The Emiya estate was large, and there were plenty of rooms for the Servant to stay in- or hide in, as the case was. In order to keep Shirou's position as a Master in the Grail War secret, it was decided that as few people should know about Saber. And since she couldn't for some reason, turn into astral form like other Servants could, this meant sequestering her in a spare room when company was coming over. Saber wasn't happy with the arrangement, as she felt she had to be as close to Shirou as possible for his protection. She even went as far as insisting to sleep in the same room as Shirou was, much to the Mage's embarrassment and Sonic's amusement. It took some convincing, and finally a threat to use a Command Seal to make Saber compromise to stay in the spare room closest to Shirou's.

Sonic, meanwhile had done the opposite and taken a room much further away for himself. When asked why, the Hedgehog had teased that he didn't want to hear anything if either Shirou or Saber "Got lonely for each other's company.", to Shirou's repeated embarrassment.

To his surprise, (Or maybe not) he found Saber was already awake, and sitting on her knees.

"Good morning, Shirou." Saber greeted cordially.

"Good morning, Saber," Shirou returned, "You're up early."

"Of course. If I am to protect you, that means I have to be ready at all times in case there is danger," Saber explained, "I cannot allow our enemies even the slightest chance to attack."

"That's, um, very professional of you," Shirou replied tactfully, "But please don't go out of your way to wear yourself out. I can take care of myself to a degree."

Saber hummed. Shirou wasn't sure if that meant she took his claim seriously.

"Anyway, I've got to prepare breakfast for Taiga and Sakura," Shirou went on. He had already told Saber and Sonic about his surrogate family. "Could you check on Sonic and make sure he stays out of sight?"

"Very well." Saber said, standing up.

As Shirou got to work in the kitchen, Saber went to Sonic's room. Looking inside, she found that instead of the futon, Sonic had used the sheet Shirou gave him to fashion a hammock that hung between the walls. A hammock he was still sleeping in.

Saber wondered what kept his large quills from tearing the fabric, then said, "Sonic?"

"Mm?"

"I'm sorry to wake you, but I wanted to tell that it is morning, and Shirou's friends will be here for breakfast," Saber explained, "And to remind you that you need to stay hidden. If ordinary people were to see you-"

Saber's dialogue was cut off as the decidedly-not-a-morning Hedgehog threw a pillow at her.

"I get it, can't leave my room, lemme _sleep!_"

* * *

Taiga and Sakura arrived, and in short order it was just another morning at the Emiya house.

For Sakura, this was bliss. Ever since her father gave her away, her life had been a roller coaster of physical abuse and emotional destruction. The only candle in the darkness she called her existence had been the tender kindness she received at Shirou's. While she suffered no delusions that he would be able to save her entirely from the cruelty of the Matou's, she treasured her moments with him. But deep down, she knew that it would only be a matter of time before her grandfather's horribly invasive worms would kill her, just as they had Uncle Kariya. However, in that kitchen, at that table, she could always pretend that the horrors of Magecraft were far away, and that the Holy War waging outside was someone else's problem.

But as breakfast went on, she found it was much harder to pretend that day. She could sense, however faintly, extra presences in the house. She realized that somehow her senior had summoned a Servant of his own, or was allowing another Master to take refuge in his home. And then there was Avenger. The 'Servant' insisted on 'keeping an eye on her', and followed her to Shirou's. She managed to convince him (It?) to remain out of sight. Rather than dematerializing, the Servant just hid in her own shadow, a fitting place as he was so shadow like himself. Still, this didn't explain _why _Avenger had appeared…or how she could make him go away.

She did her best to ignore the tremblings as the Matou worms inside her reacted to the presences, so much that she almost didn't hear Taiga's words.

"-you hear? They actually know who's killing all of those people!" Taiga said between bites.

"Really?!" Shirou gasped, looking up from his rice.

"Mm-hmm, I overheard grandpa talking about it with some of his men," Taiga's grandfather, Fujimura Raiga, was the head of the city's _yakuza. _"In fact, it should be on now."

Taiga turned on the television, changing the channel to a news report.

"…And so police are now searching the city for anyone matching the description of a well-built adult man with blue hair and red eyes," The reporter said, "He is also said to be carrying a red spear of sorts, and wearing a dark blue jumpsuit…"

_That's Lancer they're describing! _Shirou thought, his mind whirling.

"And here's the weird part," Taiga added as the report went into sports, "From what I hear, the guy who saw the murderer also claims there was a tanuki there as well! Isn't that silly?"

"Yeah…silly." Shirou tried to keep his voice level, but on the inside he was nervous. Sonic had mentioned that the reason he fought Lancer was to save someone the Servant had tried to feed on. Obviously, that seemingly unimportant bystander had the good sense to alert the police after Sonic led Lancer away. Luckily, the man hadn't seen anything too outrageous so far…aside from the whole 'tanuki' thing. Shirou hoped that whoever was in charge of keeping magic secret would find a way to deal with that.

* * *

_I can't deal with this_, Kirie Kotomine thought as he watched the news report.

He had allowed Lancer to fight that strange animal mostly to get a good estimation of the Hedgehog's abilities, and to put an end to Lancer's endless whining about not being in combat. Well, they both got what they wanted, with interest. Luckily, Lancer hadn't been killed outright by the exploding sound barrier, and managed to limp back to the church, albeit with his hearing gone. And while it had been fun to watch Lancer shout "WHAT?!" every now and then, it overalled worried Kotomine about the direction of the War. More specifically, what directions _should _be taken to keep it secret. A random murder and people fainting left and right could be easily given mundane explanations. Sonic booms and tanukis, however…not even the 'reliable' gas leak excuse could brush those away. If the authorities got wind that something _highly unusual _was happening in Fuyuki, it would only mark the beginning of troubles that Kotomine, as officiator of the Holy War, would definitely become the center of. He prayed to God (He was a priest, after all) that Lancer's opponent would keep to himself and not draw anymore attention.

"You seem troubled."

Kotomine turned his head to regard the blond man walking up behind him. Handsome, dressed plain but stylishly, the only thing out of the ordinary about this man were his eyes, red as blood and sharp as a blade. He had been Kirie's tenet for ten years...a man who once held the title of Archer.

"I am simply trying to determine how this new development will affect the War." the priest said, gesturing to the news report playing on the television.

The once-Archer chuckled. "Ahh, you mean Lancer's opponent from last night. I was quite impressed to hear what had happened. To think a simple animal spirit could fight on equal grounds with a Servant. Still, it is of no threat to me."

Kotomine did not reply to that, and turned back to the TV. The reporter was now talking about the 'mysterious explosion' from last night. While his partner was perfectly justified in his sense of superiority, Kotomine knew that even an insect could bring down a mighty beast if it stung the right place and with strong enough venom.

This…_Hedgehog_ (Was that term appropriate?), though possessing a devil may care attitude, was obviously no slouch in combat. It was easily Lancer's equal when it was playing around, _and _seemed to be immune to Noble Phantasms. Or maybe just blades in general. And the way it ended the fight…Kirie wasn't sure if his partner's golden armor could withstand a sonic boom.

As if sensing Kotomine's concerns, the Archer said, "If this troubles you so much, then why not have the Hound sniff it out? It will give him something to do while we wait for the War to close."

Kirie nodded slowly. "Yes…but it will have to be at night…" He smirked devilishly. "When his ears are done healing."

"WHAT?"

Kotomine grinned grew. It was still funny.

* * *

The peace of the Emiya estate was broken by a rush of wind and a blur racing from it an incredible velocity.

"I'M LATE!" Fujimura Taiga screamed as she barreled down the road. A large cloud of dust was kicked up as she went.

Shirou shook his head. Some things would never change, but he was grateful for the familiar sight in the face of all the events he had recently experienced. He and Sakura made quick work washing the dishes. Once they were done, it was time to get to school. Normally, Shirou would accompany Sakura, but today he needed to make breakfast for Saber and Sonic. Since he couldn't tell that to his _kohai_, Shirou just told Sakura that he wanted to clean up from a repair he was working on earlier, and that she should just go ahead without him. Though she was a bit sad to hear it, Sakura didn't argue and went on. As Shirou watched her departing back, he felt this odd twinge in his soul. Was it his imagination, or was Sakura's shadow…

"She's nice."

Shirou jumped. When did Sonic come from!?

Sonic looked up to give Shirou a smirk. "So, you two just seeing each other, or are you engaged?"

Shirou felt his cheeks warm slightly. "It's not like that. She's just a friend."

"Who comes by every day to make you food?" Sonic asked wily.

"Yes," Shirou didn't like what Sonic's smile was implying. "I think she's having problems with her own family, so I let her come here. And for your information, I don't always let her make dinner and breakfast. I prefer to do those myself."

Sensing the rising aggression on Shirou's voice, Sonic held up his hands in a defensive manner. "Whoa, chill, man. I was only teasing." As they went back towards the kitchen, Sonic said one last thing. "Though if you ask _me_, I think she wants to be more than friends."

Shirou paused briefly, then kept going. While it was tempting, there was no way Sakura would be interested in him like _that_…and besides, going after your underclassman was wrong.

It didn't take long for a second breakfast to be made. Shirou didn't bother making anything fancy, and Sonic helped with the dishes. Once the table was set, Shirou turned and was about to leave when Saber spoke up.

"Shirou, I'll finish this in short time," She said, "I wouldn't want to make you late."

Confused, Shirou turned back to his Servant. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that to protect you I'll be accompanying you to your school."

"What?!"

Sonic burst out laughing. When he saw the look Shirou gave him, he quickly buttoned up, but still had that cheeky grin. Saber, meanwhile, kept her expression stoic as she ate.

"Saber, I can't show up to school with a strange girl following me!" Shirou insisted, "It would attract too much attention!" Especially since he had just told Sakura to go without him. If he arrived at Homurahara Academy with a beautiful lady in tow, there would be no end to the rumors.

But Saber refused to back down. "That is a poor reason, Shirou," She said, "An enemy could attack you at any time there. It's important that I remain by your side to ensure your protection."

"No, it'll be fine," Shirou said, "The War is supposed to be secret, remember? No one will start a fight in broad daylight at a public place. Only Tohsakah-_san_, Lancer's Master, and Illya know I'm a Master, so it'll be easy for me to blend with a if I show up with a new friend- a foreigner, at that- another Master might decide to investigate and figure it out."

Judging from the obstinate frown forming on her otherwise flawless features, Shirou suspected that she wasn't going to accept his (In his eyes) perfect argument. He decided to pull out his trump card.

"There's another reason why I need you to stay here," Shirou took Saber aside so Sonic couldn't hear. "We told Sonic that he couldn't go out in public, but I think he's the kind of person who'd rather do what he wanted, regardless of the rules. You have to make sure he stays indoors. Can you do that for me?"

Saber glanced back at Sonic. The Hedgehog in question was casually flipping through the TV guide with a bored expression on his face. His eyes drifted towards hers, and he smirked. She couldn't deny what Shirou was saying, as in heart she held the same suspicions about Sonic's character herself. But she was still apprehensive of leaving Shirou. The encounter with Berserker had made her suspect her Master had a deep-rooted suicidal complex.

"Listen, I promise that I'll be home before dark," Shirou went on, "Just try to keep Sonic hidden until then."

Saber sighed. "Very well. However, you must promise me that if you do run into trouble, to summon me at once with a Command Seal."

Shirou glanced at the marks on his hand. "I thought these were only used to give you orders."

"They are 'Absolute Orders', Shirou," Saber explained, "If you ordered me to appear at your side, their power would summon me in an instant."

Shirou nodded. "I see. But don't I only have three of these Absolute Orders?"

"Exactly," Saber affirmed, "That is why I will allow this just once. But you must still be careful. Do not allow yourself to stand out from a crowd. As you said, it is unlikely that another Master or Servant will attack in view of others, but there are many unpredictable fools in the world."

Shirou gave his Servant a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, Saber. What's the worst that could happen?"

Saber wasn't as confident as Shirou was, and her expression showed it. Nonetheless, she only watched as her Master left the house. There was a rush of wind and Sonic was at her side, also watching Shirou's departing back.

"Dude's in a magic gang war and said something like _that_," the Hedgehog commented, "You worried?"

"More than you could possibly imagine."

* * *

At Homurahara Academy, crowds of students ran, trying to get to whatever class they had been assigned to on time. Tohsaka Rin was _not_ one of these students. The Head of the (Incredibly singular) Tohsaka Clan would never debase herself by being late to class. She had gotten up early, not that she had been able to sleep much to begin with. The sheer shock of what had happened last night kept her up. Not just that creature that had fought Lancer, but also the _kitsune _that had crashed an airplane into her backyard.

_Kitsune. _She thought that animal spirits had vanished from the world long ago(Archer claimed that somewhere in the city there was a restaurant run by cat spirits, but couldn't give the exact address- he was probably joking), and that the only way anyone would meet a _kitsune _would be to summon Tamamo-no-Mae as a Servant. After taking the furry test pilot into her mansion and treating his wounds, she had interrogated the _kitsune_ fiercely. What she learned about him was a nonsensical story about fighting killer robots from another dimension. Obviously, it was a lie, she had decided, a cover story to hide his true origins. _Kitsune _were infamous for being tricksters, after all. Still, it was a bit demeaning that he didn't come up with something a bit more plausible. Travel between worlds was one of the True Magics. There was no way a machine could pull it off, even with some…enchanted gemstones (What did he call it? 'Chaos Jewels', or something?) jammed into it. Technology couldn't handle the power of jewel Magecraft, that was a fact.

Rin was pulled out of her reverie when she saw a familiar face. Matou Sakura was walking towards the school building, and when the eyes of the two girls met, a subtle tension took hold. Sakura looked a bit more downcast, while Rin's face became like stone.

"Good morning, Matou-_san_," Rin greeted, unflinching.

"Um…Good morning, Tohsaka-_sempai_," Sakura returned, averting her eyes.

And with that, Sakura moved on. Rin watched her go, and felt a twinge in her soul.

Exchanges like that were all that was to tell about the relationship between the two students. Once they had been close, many years ago, but now, an emotional wall existed between them. Deep down, it hurt Rin that such a wall existed. But she had long ago decided that the only way to deal with the pain was by putting another wall around her own heart. For years, it worked quite well, allowing Rin to focus on her own Magecraft training. But as she would learn in time, such a tactic caused certain important factors to slip past her.

But Emiya Shirou did not. She saw him running up towards the school from one of the windows. She also saw that Saber was not with him.

_Did that idiot really come alone? _She thought, stunned. _Doesn't he realize that a Master out in the open without a Servant is basically a target waiting for a bulls-eye?_

Rin then realized that Archer had said the same thing when she instructed him to stay at the mansion and keep an eye on their fluffy houseguest. This made her even more upset, as she realized that she was acting as stupid as Shirou was. She was then tempted- _sorely _tempted- to go confront Shirou and give him a dressing-down, mostly to vent her own feelings of confusion, anger and a slew of other emotions building up behind her inner wall. But she also knew that acting differently around Shirou would arouse suspicion. She would have to be subtle.

Later that day, Shirou passed her on the way to class.

"Tohsaka, I've got something to tell you," He began, "It's about what we saw last night-"

He stopped. Tohsaka Rin had just given him a glare so hot it seemed like his head would explode. He realized later that there was a very good chance Rin could actually do that and became quite scared.

"We'll talk later." She said quietly.

Shirou watched her go. He wondered if he had done something wrong.

* * *

"Is something wrong?" Archer asked.

After Rin left, the little _kitsune, _who called himself Tails, had resumed repairs on his plane. Archer was sorely tempted to help- how often did you get to fix a advanced bi-plane?- he knew he had to keep a look out and not get distracted. While the Tohsaka mansion and grounds were protected by a boundary field, a strong enough enemy could penetrate it.

Tails sighed. "The damage to the _Tornado _is a lot worse than I thought. Several pieces of the outer hull broke off. Plus, the engine is pretty messed up, too. I could patch it up, but there's no telling how long it'll last when the plane takes off. To fix everything, I need parts."

"You're not going to find them here, I can tell you that much," Archer said, "The Tohsaka family has always been…old-fashioned. And Rin is determined to hold up their traditions, no matter how backwards they are. The exclusion of technology is one of them."

"Yeah, I guessed that much," Tails nodded, "I didn't see any electronics in the house…not even a phone or TV."

Tails put away the wrench he had been holding and sat on the grass. Archer could see that he was despondent. And it was clear to see why. Tails was worried about his friends, but couldn't go out to look for them until night. Most likely he hoped to distract himself by working on his plane. Now that plan was gone.

"Let's go inside," Archer said, "If you can't fix your plane, then there's no reason to stay out. Nobody comes here, but we can't take that chance of anyone seeing you. And don't worry about your friends. If they're smart, they'll stay hidden as well."

"Knuckles and Amy, maybe," Tails admitted, and fished something from the cockpit of his ruined plane. "But Sonic's never been the subtle type. I bet he's already made the news."

_I hope not, _Archer thought, _Rin's already stressed from disbelieving Tails' story. If an animal-person starts appearing in public, she might have a breakdown._ And as amusing as that would have been for Archer, the long-term consequences would be catastrophic. If the Mages Association got wind of events that could expose the existence of Magecraft were happening in Fuyuki, they would start taking action. Genocidal action. His foster-father had once told him of the time when enforcers from the Association wiped out an entire village in response to an outbreak of vampirism. Rather than trying to help the people, they chose to just kill everyone, as easily as you would exterminate a bugs hive to stop an infestation.

_I can only pray the situation doesn't degrade to that point…_

* * *

When Bazett woke up, she was confused. And sleepy. But mostly confused. Her last coherent memory was getting her arm cut off and being left for dead in a dark alley. She had tried to heal the wound as best she could, but her best only delayed the inevitable- she was a combatant, not a medic, and had lost too much blood. She had only enough strength to wait for death. Her thoughts became a blur after that, unable to keep track of how time was passing…until she felt a hot jolt through her body, after which darkness claimed her.

But now she had returned to the light. At first, she thought she was in heaven, but the IVs connect to one of her arms disabused her of that notion.

Arms!

Bazett then realized that she had two arms again; the one that had been cut off grew back. But how? Regenerating flesh was a skill that went beyond what a enforcer would know. It would take an enormous amount of Mana to tap into.

Thinking back, Bazett realized that the 'hot jolt' she felt earlier must have been an influx of Mana. But where did it come from? The leylines of Fuyuki didn't have that much power, and they were being used for the Holy Grail War. Was this the work of another Servant or Master…and if so, why?

"Miss McRemitz?"

Bazett was pulled from her musings by a male voice. She saw an adult man in a white coat- a doctor, no doubt- walking into her room. He carried a clipboard in his hands.

"I'm glad to see you've woken up," He said, "We were worried you would't make it."

"Thank you for your concern." Bazett replied, and a thought occurred to her. "Could you please tell me where I am?"

"You're in the Fuyuki General Hospital, Ms. McRemitz. My name is Doctor Twice Pierceman" the doctor said, "You were brought in by…" He trailed off, looking uncomfortable. "Well, we'll go into that a bit later. I have a few concerns about your condition that need to be addressed."

He didn't want to talk about who brought her here? That was troubling. Bazett assumed that a bystander had found her and brought her. Another thought occurred to her. Did this happen before or after she regrew her arm?

"When you were brought in, you had lost over a liter of blood," Dr. Pierceman said, checking his clipboard. "2.1 liters, to be precise. Quite frankly, it's a miracle you lived long enough for us to do the transfusion. Oddly enough, we couldn't figure out how you suffered that much blood loss. You did't have any wounds large enough to cause that- just superficial cuts and…" It was at this point that Pierceman's eyes glazed over.

"There is nothing abnormal about my condition," Bazett told him, trying to ignore the slight headache that was forming. Doing hypnosis right after dying was pushing things, but she still had duty as a Mage Association Enforcer to ensure the secrecy of Magecraft.

"…Yes, of course," Pierceman replied, writing something on his clipboard. "Now, about your friend…"

_Friend? I don't have any friends in this city_. Bazett thought. The only people she knew in Fuyuki who would have _any _care for her condition were Kirie Kotomine, and her Servant, Lancer. Just thinking about those two filled Bazett with equal parts anger and sorrow. But mostly anger. It was Kotomine who had attacked her, stealing the Command Seals that bound Lancer to her. Of that, she was sure. And she was equally sure that getting them back would be a sadistic pleasure.

And while Bazett stewed in her rage, Dr. Pierceman continued. "…We've kept her in a private room to avoid scaring the other patients, and I've asked the staff members that have seen her not to say anything, but I…I just don't know what to think."

"What are you talking about?" Bazett asked, confused by the doctor's awkward tone of voice. Was it a Dead Apostle that brought her in?

Pierceman sighed, and gestured towards the door. A small figure soon appeared at the door way. It was probably less than half of Bazett's total height. It wore a red short dress, boots, white gloves, and a hairband, and therefore was female, probably. Bazett wasn't sure what to think of her apparent benefactor, only that it's appearance was comparable to those cat spirits that ran a cafe she once stopped at before summoning Lancer.

When Amy Rose saw Bazett sitting upright in her bed, she smiled, sighing with relief. "Oh, good, you're all right."

"Are you the one who brought me here?" Bazett asked, trying to absorb what was happening. This was a bit much to take in. Was this…cartoon character the reason she escaped death's clutches?

"Yes," Amy replied, walking over to the Irishwoman's bed. "I found you in some alley last night. My name is Amy Rose, and yours is…Bazzy?"

"Bazett," The Enforcer corrected. And, because it was pressing on her mind, she asked, "Did anyone else see you last night?"

"I don't think so…" Amy muttered, looking confused. "Why? Is that a problem? Dr. Pierceman said the same thing…"

That reminded Bazett. She looked over and sent the good doctor another hypnotic suggestion. "Please send everyone who saw her…no, send in the hospital's staff, one at a time." She'd have to hypnotize the entire hospital to ignore Amy's appearance. Better safe than sorry, after all.

Dr. Pierceman nodded, his eyes once again glazed over, and left. Once the door shut behind him, Amy gave Bazett a strange look.

"What was _that _about?" the pink hedgehog asked.

Bazett sighed. "Miss Rose…Amy, I think we need to have a talk."

* * *

Saber sat at the table in the Emiya house living room. In another life, she would have taken this 'leisure time' to sleep in her room to better recharge her Mana. However the need to chaperone Sonic required her to be awake. She had no doubt that Sonic would 'fly the coop' if his watcher was napping. Off to the side, Sonic was watching the television, lying on his side with his head propped up by an arm as he lazily changed channels with the remote.

"Boring…boring…boring…" Sonic muttered, before laying his head on the floor. After a moment, he got up and zipped out of the room.

Luckily, Saber's senses were so honed that she did not need to follow after him. She could still sense his presence within the grounds. Judging by the sound of his footprints, it seemed like he was going towards the storage house.

That made Saber remember Irisviel, her friend during the Fourth Holy War. She had always been full of cheer. When they first arrived in Japan, she had been so excited to arrive in the country…and had been just as glad to arrive at this very house. It was always something of a puzzle to Saber; how could someone so warm and uplifting fall in love with a Mage as cold and broken as Kiritsugi?

And for that matter, what would Iri have thought of Shirou? Would the two idealists bond?

Saber was pulled out of these thoughts by the sound of footsteps; Sonic had returned, and held something in his arms. In a heartbeat he was by the TV set, now connecting wires. He turned around and held up some sort of black device for Saber to see.

"I found this in that shed outside," He explained, "I can't believe Shirou has a Sega Genesis! Haven't seen one of these things in years…"

Oh, a video game console. Saber knew of these things, thanks to the knowledge the Holy Grail gave its Servants on the era they were summoned in.

"There were even some games, too!" Sonic went on, zipping out and back with a box. He pulled out several cartridges. "Lessee…_Clayfighters_, _Vectorman_, _Acro_…ooh, _Altered Beasts_!"

Sonic put the cartridge in the console and turned everything on. In a second, the TV blared "SAY-GAH!" as a familiar (To Sonic) blue logo appeared, followed by the game's title screen. It wasn't long before the Hedgehog was immersed in the game, and the room was filled with digital sound bytes.

Aside from the noise, Saber found this most satisfying. If Sonic was focused on the game, he wouldn't be so eager to break curfew. She could focus more on regenerating her Mana and healing from the skirmish with Lancer and Berserker. But even with that in mind, the knight's eyes began to drift towards the screen…

Hours later, Saber died. Again.

Sonic shook his head sadly as the game's countdown appeared not he screen. "You're just not getting the hang of this. That's what, the fifth time the boss beat you?"

Saber grimaced as she hit the start button on her controller. "I am starting to figure out its tactics, however. I am confident that this next battle shall end in my favor."

"Yeah, that's good to know," Sonic replied, and reached over for the controller. "But it's my turn, and…Wait, what time is it?"

Saber's attention was pulled away from the screen. Looking out the window, she saw that the sun was setting. She couldn't believe it. Where had the time gone? Had she become so immersed in the video game that her very senses took leave?

"Almost night," Sonic grinned, and stood up. Stretching his arms, he said, "Time to hit the town!"

Oh, that's right. They agreed to let Sonic out once it became dark. Then Saber's eyes began to water, and she realized that she hadn't blinked in over two hours. Thinking that maybe she had spent too much time on the game, she turned the power button on the Genesis console.

"A flying saucer was sighted entering the city from the docks as of…" A newswoman was saying.

Sonic and Saber looked at the TV quickly. A blurred image of something red and spinning appeared on the screen.

"…All attempts to communicate with the vessel have yielded no results. Authorities advise that all citizens remain indoors and off the streets. If anyone has any information, please call…"

Sonic glanced at Saber. "Do you guys have flying saucers in this world?"

Saber shook her head, not losing sight of the screen.

Sonic snapped his fingers. "Then it didn't take Eggman long to get settled. That's probably one of his robots."

Saber suddenly felt a sense of urgency. Standing up, she said, "I have to get to Shirou. He might not know about this." And knowing him, he would gladly run towards the danger this possible robot created.

"Well, it's kinda late," Sonic noted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "He must still be at the school."

"Then that is where I must go." Saber declared, standing up. There was a flash, and her armor-dress combo appeared around her body. There was no telling when a battle would begin, and the second required to transform could be costly.

"Nice effect," Sonic grinned, and held out his hand. "Need a lift, little lady?"

Saber looked at Sonic. "What?"

"I'll take you to Shirou before taking down that robot," Sonic explained, "With my speed, we should be there in a few minutes."

"That will not be necessary," Saber rebuffed proudly, and marched towards the door. "My own speed is not to be underestimated. By taking the rooftops, I can arrive at Shirou's school in short order."

"But do you know where it is?" Sonic asked, following her.

Saber stopped. Come to think of it, Shirou never mentioned what route he took to his school.

"When I was leading Lancer out of the city, we passed someplace called Homurahara Academy," Sonic went on, "I could be wrong, but one of those two ladies from breakfast mentioned it…the loud one, I think."

By this time the two heroes were outside. An outside observer would have found the pair quite comical to look at; One was a young girl clad in a blue dress with armor. The other was a spiky-headed animal person who came up to her chest- in sneakers. The girl had a look of freshly-forged steel in her eyes; hard but blazing. The hedgehog's eyes were more bouncy and light, like rubber with glitter glued on. To an outsider, they did not look like the heroes of legend they claimed to be. These would probably be more at home in an anime, or fan fiction.

(The author would like to apologize for getting kinda meta on you.)

Saber considered her options. One was to go off on her own, and hope that whatever random direction she chose was one that had Shirou at the end of. The other was to rely on directions provided by a fellow freeloader who claimed to be a castaway from another realm. While neither were better than the other, the latter option had the advantage of letting her keep watch over Sonic for just a little bit longer.

"Very well," Saber nodded, closing her eyes. "I'll follow from the rooftops. Stick to the shadows to avoid being seen, I'll track you by your-"

The Heroic Spirit didn't get a chance to finish as Sonic, within a second, scooped her up and took off down the streets. The Hedgehog later commented that, even with armor, Saber wasn't very hard to lift. Fortunately, no one saw the two of them making their way towards Homurahara Academy. What few eyewitnesses saw was some sort of blue blur passing by, followed by the shrieks of an invisible young girl. Fortunately for Kotomine, sights like that were easier to blame on gas leaks.

* * *

Because the Tohsaka Mansion didn't have a television, Archer and Tails didn't hear know about a possible robot attack. Nonetheless, Archer was still worried about his Master, who was still alone and unprotected at school. Technically, Shirou was with her, but it was more likely that he would need _her _protection.

The problem was that he was under orders to stay and keep watch over Tails. And while Archers possessed an 'Independent Action' skill that allowed them to move outside of their Master's wishes, the Heroic Spirit wasn't sure he wanted to antagonize Rin so early in the war.

"Um, Archer?"

Archer was pulled out of his thoughts and looked down. Tails was walking up to, clutching some sort of small computer under his arm.

"It's getting dark out," The fox said, "I wanted to let you know that I'm going to look for my friends."

Uh-oh. This was a problem. While he and Rin had said that Tails could go out at night, the actual plan had been to hypnotize the fox with Rin's magecraft once she got home. Unfortunately, she had decided to stay after school because "Shirou had something to tell her". He wondered what could be so important that she would jeopardize her own plans.

Then again…maybe they _weren't _jeopardized. Putting on a friendly smile, Archer said, "All right. I'm planning to go out myself."

"Why?"

"I'm worried about Rin. She hasn't come back from school yet," Archer explained, "There have been reports of a serial killer on the loose- and I hear he likes young girls."

(In the Fuyuki Church, Lancer sneezed)

"Oh my gosh!" Tails cried, his namesake sticking out in shock. "And Rin's out there on her own?! We have to find her!"

"Your friends are probably in just as much danger as Rin is," Archer pointed out.

Tails shrugged the bowman off. "Aw, don't worry about them. Between Sonic's speed, Knuckles' fists, and Amy's hammer, I feel sorry for any weirdo who tries to get the drop on 'em."

_Too bad you don't know about Servants or Magecraft, kid. _Archer thought as he and Tails left the mansion grounds. Ordinarily, he would have gone into his astral form to avoid being seen. But, now with Tails in tow he had to keep solid so he can help hide him from any civilians they could passed.

As they went on, Archer couldn't help but be drawn to the device Tails carried with him. Every now and then Tails would turn it on and fiddle with its buttons.

"What's that for?" the bowman asked, genuinely interested.

"Oh, this is my Miles Electric," Tails explained, and held up the screen to Archer's face. It showed some sort of green grid against a black background, with blinking yellow dots here and there. "It's basically a multi-purpose computer I made. I've been trying to convert it into an Chaos Emerald locator."

"Those gems that sent you here?" Archer recalled how eager Rin had looked when Tails mentioned them. Regardless of her skepticism in the rest of the fox boy's story, she apparently was quite hopeful _that _part was true. No doubt a method of gaining ultimate power a bit more easily than taking part in the Holy War appealed to the Mage within her.

"Yeah, we're going to need them if we want to get home," Tails explained, "I altered the GPS on the ME so it can pick up unknown energy signatures by receiving their electromagnetic-pyschokenetic pulse."

While Archer knew what all those words meant, when put together in that specific order they only made him confused. The part about unknown energy signatures also made him nervous, though he didn't show it.

"Huh, that's weird…" Tails eyes narrowed as he studied the screen. He tapped the controls.

"What's wrong?" Archer asked, bending down.

"According to this, there's a high energy signature right on top of us- _and _following us." Tails murmured, and looked around. "Do you see anything like that?"

Archer looked around. While his own senses weren't quite as keen as a Caster's, he felt they were good enough to pick up the presence of a jewel capable of the Second True Magic. But there was nothing like that around.

"Maybe your machine is malfunctioning." Archer suggested, and moved on.

"Maybe…" Tails considered, still fiddling with his computer as he walked. "Come to think of it, it was picking up this weird energy field around your house- nothing major, just…odd, that it was there. Maybe it did something to the sensors…"

_A field? The only kind of power surrounding Rin's place is the boundary field she keeps up to protect it, _Archer thought as Tails mused over his machine. _But no computer could detect that- otherwise mages everywhere would be overwhelmed by government agents with geiger counters, _He recalled Tails' earlier claims, and how advanced the _Tornado _seemed. _No computer…on _Earth_…_

* * *

School was out at Homurahara Academy. The place was almost empty now, save for a few individuals, staying late to finish up some work. These people were far and few between now, as the recent wave of mysterious gave them the impetus to be home before dark.

One of the few to lack this impetus was Shirou, helping clean up the school archery club as a favor to the club president, Mitsuzuri Ayako. He hadn't really intended to do it (In fact, he had forgotten completely), but found himself being pressed during a discussion with her and his friend and student president, Issei Ryuudou. He learned that Shinji, following a rejection from Tohsaka, had skipped school. Speaking of relationships, it turned out that another teacher, Kuzuki Souchiro, was getting married, and his bride-to-be was staying at the temple.

But the most pressing concern was Sakura. According to Ayako, his underclassman had been acting unnaturally anxious all day, jumping at shadows and such. While it was possible the mysterious attacks had set her on the edge, this new attitude, coupled with Shinji's absence, made Shirou wonder if something was happening at the Matou Manor.

As he was exiting the archery club's door, he found himself confronted by none other than Rin. She had a mean look in her eye, though it was much cooler than the red-hot glare of sudden death she wore at the beginning of the day.

"Tohsaka, you're still here?" He asked, shutting the door behind him.

"Obviously," Rin replied, annoyed. "Emiya-_kun_, do you realize how stupid you are?"

"What do you mean?"

"I _mean_, coming out alone in the open during the Holy War!" Rin was almost yelling, but managed to keep her voice down. "Don't you realize that a Master without his Servant might as well be called a target?"

"But, Tohsaka, the War's supposed to be secret, remember?" Shirou answered, "No Master is going to start anything while there are other people around."

Rin gave him a flat look. "And tell me, do you see any other people around?"

It then dawned on Shirou that, aside from the two of them and some few scattered around the school, Homurahara Academy was empty. He suddenly felt very stupid. And fearful. But mostly stupid.

Rin sighed. "You are so lucky we've already made an alliance. If not, I'd be filling you with _Gandr _shots right now."

"Um…thank you for not doing that." Shirou replied awkwardly, and looked around. "Does that mean Archer is here too, in astral form?"

"Erm, actually, I had to leave him home," Rin looked away, her cheeks turning a faint shade of red.

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "Is that right? You must be awfully confident in yourself to go out alone."

Shirou's words must have struck a nerve, as Rin shot him a very mean glare. "That's besides the point! Anyway, what did you want to talk about? At the beginning of the day, you said something about what happened last night."

Shirou nodded, and quickly filled her in everything he knew about Sonic. However, he purposely left out telling the Hedgehog about the Holy Grail. Rin was annoyed at him enough as it was, he'd have to wait until she cooled off before dropping _that _bombshell. Of course, part of him was pleased to see how stunned Rin looked as she absorbed his words.

_Rin's probably amazed to learn about creatures from another world, _the Master of Saber assumed mentally, _Maybe she's jealous that I found one first._

Rin, meanwhile, was thinking, _I can't believe Shirou found another one! Oh, well, that makes it a bit easier. With two of them captured, we might be able to keep this '"Tanuki" thing from getting out of hand. _"Is that why you left Saber at your house?"

"Yeah, you heard the rumors people are saying about a tanuki," Shirou explained, "If Sonic went out into public, we'd never hear the end of it."

"Well, that was surprisingly good thinking on your part," Rin stated, "I guess even idiots can do well if they try."

"…For a complement, that hurt, Tohsaka." Shirou deadpanned.

Brushing him off, Rin said, "Listen, Shirou. Last night, Archer and I captured a _kitsune _in sneakers outside my house."

"How many tails did he have?" Shirou asked thoughtfully.

"Just two."

"That sounds like Tails," Shirou remarked, more to himself. "Well, Sonic will be happy to find one of his friends so quickly."

"We're not going to let them meet."

"What are you saying?"

Rin looked stern. "The _kitsune _had the same ridiculous 'From another world' story your new friend gave. I don't buy it. We have no proof that _anything _we've been told is true. Transported by an exploding machine powered by gemstones? More likely they're familiars summoned by another Master, or, more likely, this War's Caster."

Shirou was silent. He hadn't considered that possibility. But he had never heard of a familiar that could exhibit the amount of personality Sonic had. From what Kiritsugi had told him, most familiars were just extensions of their mages will, and generally acted as their eyes and ears.

"I've got Archer watching the _ktisune, _and Saber's got the hedgehog corralled," Rin continued, "But we can't have them playing babysitter forever, not if we want to win this War."

"It sounds like you've already got a plan." Shirou noted.

"It's a long shot, but I'm hoping we can put them under my control," Rin explained, "I didn't have time to really do anything to Tails this morning, but if nothing else happens, I can do it tonight. But right now, I think we should take care of Sonic first. If this works, we'll have a new weapon to use against the other Masters."

"I think we'd already had a new _ally_," Shirou said uneasily. He didn't like how quickly Rin had brought up the usage of mind control. "Sonic said he was fighting Lancer last night to save someone from being killed. Didn't you hear the news report?"

"Yes, I heard the story in between classes" Rin admitted, "But anyway, that's another reason we need to keep these guys on a short leash. We can't have them running wild and exposing magecraft."

Shirou sighed. He had a feeling that Rin wasn't going to let up on this idea easily. "…All right. I'll take you to see Sonic. Just let me find a phone, first."

"A phone? What for?"

"I need to call my house," Shirou explained as he and Rin started to walk down the hall. "I told Sonic he could go out and look for his friends at night, but now I have to tell Saber to keep him at home a little longer."

As they went, Shirou mulled over why Tohsaka was so adamant about not accepting Sonic's story. Was it that hard to believe? Granted, the phenomenon Sonic described sounded impossible, but just last night several 'impossible' things happened. He recalled his father's words on other mages. According to Kiritsugi, mages from old families tended to be rigid, and opposed to new ideas and concepts. Was that the reason?

Shirou was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Rin gasp. Coming back into reality, he saw a girl lying on the floor. Forgetting about Sonic for the moment, the two Masters rushed to the girl's aid.

"Is she all right?" Shirou asked, worried. He recognized the girl as a new member of the archery club.

"No! She's had her mana drained!" Rin replied. She sounded angry, but Shirou "She's not dead yet, but that'll change if I don't help her!"

As Rin got to work, Shirou looked around, trying to find a trace of the girl's attacker. A leg disappearing around a corner, the sound of a door closing, even a window that was conspicuously open. None of these things were in sight, however, making Shirou even more anxious.

"Okay, I've got her stabilized," Rin announced, and looked around. "There must be another Servant here," She felt her Command Seals go warm. "And they're close!"

Shirou's eyes widened and did another look around. He was worried, but also confused. His own Command Seals weren't glowing...

"SHIROU!" Saber yelled, appearing out from nowhere.

Both Masters jumped in alarm. To her credit, Rin already had another jewel loaded with _gandr _poised on the tip of her finger, her entire arm tense, but steady. When she saw who it was, the Tohsaka Mage lowered her hand.

"Saber?" Shirou asked, trying to calm his beating heart. "W-what are you doing here?"

"We need to get you home." Saber said. Was it Shirou's imagination, or did she seem frazzled about something. Did she know what was going on?

"Sonic and I saw a news report about a flying saucer of some kind entering the city. He identified it as one of the robots he typically fights," Saber explained, "We came here to ascertain your well-being."

"A robot? In Fuyuki?" Shirou tried to keep up, but everything was happening too quickly for him to process. "And- _Sonic's here?_"

"Yes, he went off to search another part of the school," Saber answered, "He ran off before I could stop him and said to meet back at the entrance."

"Wait a minute!" Rin shouted, trying make heads or tails of the situation. "You let him out in public!?"

Saber looked to Rin. "I did. The situation demanded a bit of recklessness. Don't worry, I do not believe anyone could see us at the speeds we were moving."

_Yeah, because a blue blur moving at the speed of sound is totally inconspicuous. _Shirou thought, trying to stave off the throbbing in his head. "Well, at least he has the right idea…just as long as he doesn't make any noise." He could only hope.

But the world could care less about the hopes of an amateur mage, as a distant crashing told him. With Saber in the lead, the three took off down the hall, hoping to find the source of cacophony. As they ran, Rin sent a telepathic message to Archer to get over here _right now _before something else happened.

* * *

_(Several minutes ago…)_

Ayako squirmed, trying to get away, but it was useless. She wanted to call for help, but the grip she was in was so tight that she could barely breath.

Her attacker was a beautiful young woman wore a black, almost sensual outfit that clung to her curves. She had light purple hair so long that it hung down at her knees, and her eyes were hidden by a black eye cover. Were it not for the pain she was in, and the knowledge that her life was in danger, Ayako would have been turned on.

"_Sshhh…_" The lady in black whispered, and Ayako was horrified to learn that from this woman even a simple shushing sounded like an invitation to bed. "Don't struggle. It will all be over soon…"

Ayako's blood went cold. This was the end, she was sure. She tensed, the antipation paralyzing her. But before anything could happen, the situation changed so quickly that Ayako became dizzy. In the distance she fairly heard a whirring noise. Then, a gust of wind blew as _something_ zipped past her. The woman's hold was gone, and Ayako fell into someone else's arms.

"You okay?" Her saviour asked, helping Ayako up.

"Y-yeah," Ayako said uneasily as she stood. "Thank-"

Ayako stopped. No one was there. Looking down, she saw a spiny blue animal-person in red sneakers. He grinned, and then looked past her. Ayako turned and saw the mystery woman getting up. Even with her eyes covered, Ayako could tell she was not pleased.

"You better get outta here," The animal-guy said, "Ms. No-Personal-Space over there still looks clingy."

"R-right," Ayako murmured, and, taking a moment to look back at the strange scene she was leaving, began to run. _I was just saved by a mascot character!_

Sonic watched Ayako go before turning back his new opponent. He pointed at her. "I don't suppose anyone's told you that it's no good to touch someone like that?"

As a reply, the strange woman threw something at Sonic. The Hedgehog ducked, and saw that it was a metal spike attached to some kind of chain, accompanied by a strange sound like snakes slithering. Rather than dwelling on it, Sonic curled up and began to spin in place- his Spin Dash- and built up speed for about a second. The blinded woman wasn't sure what to make of it- to her ears, it sounded like Sonic had transformed himself into an engine. Sonic shot forward, moving like a cannon ball across the floor. The lady in black leaping up towards the ceiling, just narrowly avoiding the Hedgehog's attack. She threw another spike, but Sonic was also on the move, hopping to the side and bouncing off the wall towards the woman. She held up a chain just in time to block the assault, and was internally stunned to hear a grinding noise and sparks giving off as Sonic's spinning body hit the links. Were she aware of Sonic's reputation, she would have been pleased with herself; this was the same attack Sonic used to bring down many of Eggman's robots.

Sonic separated from the chain and the two landed on the floor. He rubbed the space under his nose thoughtfully as he regarded his foe in a new light. She, meanwhile, was wondering how many of the few people left in the school had heard the sparks fly.

"That's one tough chain," Sonic commented, "I'm guessing you're no ordinary girl. Don't tell me…you're Assassin, right?"

"Rider." The Servant answered.

Sonic shrugged. "Eh, close enough. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog," he quickly entered a semi-crouched pose, ready for anything. "So, mind telling me who you used to be? Or are you gonna make me guess?"

"Why spoil the surprise?" Rider asked, materializing another set of chains with a spike at the end. "And just what are you supposed to be? Another Servant?"

"I'm nobody's servant," Sonic replied, "And my legend is bit more _recent!_"

Sonic dashed forward. Rather than throwing her spike at Sonic, Rider kept it at her side, ready and waiting. The Hedgehog was about an inch from Rider's stomach when he suddenly shot into the air, just narrowly avoiding Rider's attempt to impale him. He ricocheted off of the ceiling and came down at the purple-haired Servant, who once more brought up her chain to block his attack. He legs buckled, but not from the force of Sonic's blow. Rather, she bent down in hopes of using her momentum to steer Sonic towards the wall, once she pushed him off, she swung her leg at the Hedgehog, only to miss as Sonic slid under her and made a go at her back. She whirled around just in time to block him again, and this time wrapped her chains around his legs, keeping Sonic from bouncing away. She then prepared to stab Sonic, only for the Blue Blur to retaliate by delivering several super-fast punches to her face. Rider was knocked back, letting go of Sonic. The two were instantly on their feet and sizing each other up.

_I'm at a disadvantage, _Rider realized, _this creature is too small and quick fight effectively. And in this small hallway I cannot maneuver well. If only I could take this fight outside…_

Sonic, meanwhile, thought. _She's one tough bird. Those chains are stronger than whatever Eggman builds his robots with. I need to take this fight outside so I can really cut loose and do some damage._

There was a tense pause as both combatants considered their next move. Although the lull lasted seconds, to their minds it went on for an hour. Time in the mindscape slowed the rate of time to a crawl as options were weighed.

_No…even if I get more room to move, this Hedgehog's speed surpasses mine, _Rider decided, _I need to slow him down._

As Rider prepared another chain, an idea came to Sonic. _That's it! She's good enough to dodge, so I won't even aim! Next time, I'll just grab that chain and _drag _her out! _

Sonic began to Spin Dash. As he built up speed, Rider prepared her counterattack- Sonic's attacks were basic enough, but that wasn't the problem. She knew that it wouldn't be long until their conflict attracted other people- or worse, other Masters. The Tohsaka girl her current Master tried to hit on was definitely a Master, and still in the school. If she witnessed the fight, she might glean information from the struggle to come up with a counter for Rider's abilities.

That's when an idea came to Rider. Smirking, she raised her hand towards her blindfold. The reason she kept her eyes hidden wasn't because of any disability. Rather, her eyes worked _too _well. Anyone within her vision would become stone, unless they possessed a strong enough mystical defense. But even then, the power may stun them long enough for a killing blow.

Rider's blind fell at the same time Sonic moved. While the Power Rings were an excellent defense against physical attacks, status effects were a different matter. Rider's gamble worked, and Sonic became stone. But the laws of inertia are not so easily dismissed, even with magic. The Hedgehog's body had indeed transformed, but he was still in motion when that transformation occurred. Rider had assumed petrification would act as an emergency brake, and thus was unprepared for the rolling ball of spiny rock coming at her.

CRASH!

Sonic's petrified body struck Rider's stomach with enough force to send them both through the wall. Tumbling in the air, Rider forced Sonic's stone form off of her to avoid being squished under it, and the two landed in two inelegant heaps in the school's yard. With her sight broken, Sonic's body went back to normal.

"Uhghghh…What happened?" Sonic muttered, getting up. "How'd I freeze up like that…?"

Rider leapt to her feet, angry but confused. Putting her blindfold back on, she considered making a grand escape; They were outside now, and Sonic seemed to be immune to Noble Phantasms. Though night hadn't fallen just yet, it was still dark enough to use Bellerophon Bridle to summon a flying beast to take her away. No matter how fast Sonic was, it didn't seem like he was capable of flight.

The sound of a blade rushing through the air caught Rider's thoughts, and she leapt away, just narrowly being bisected by Saber's invisible sword. Flipping onto her feet, Rider positioned herself equal distance between the other Servant and Sonic.

"Are you all right, Sonic?!" Saber asked, keeping her vision locked onto the woman in black.

"Saber… Yeah, I'm fine!" Sonic called back, "How's your man doing?"

"My Master is well, thank you!" Saber replied, "Now, please excuse me while I tend to business!"

Saber rushed at Rider, and two engaged in combat, sword meeting chain. Rider's lithe, nubile body looked almost heavenly as she did her best to dodge and parry Saber's powerful blows. As they dueled, Sonic took a moment to catch his breath. He looked around and saw two figures watching the scene from another window in the school. By the taller one's red hair he assumed it was Shirou, accompanied by a different student. He gave the two a mock salute and his attention returned to the fighting Servants. Sonic prepared himself to jump in at the next possible opportunity. However, as the skies darkened, a faint humming reached his ears…

* * *

"So, there _was_ another Servant here." Shirou murmured, watching his own Servant fight the new one. His eyes drifted towards to the blue figure on the grass. "And there's Sonic." _I wish he wouldn't stand out in public like that. What if someone sees him?_

Next to Shirou, Rin had her eyes closed, and was muttering something under her breath. The red-haired mage felt a ripple of power as his classmate finished her words.

"There, the Boundary Field is complete," Rin said, opening her eyes. "It's not much, but it should compel anyone else still in the school to leave, as well as keeping other people from entering," She looked at the hole undoubtable caused by either Rider or Sonic. "That shouldn't raise too much suspicion. People will probably think it's the work of a random vandal. Now, let's get down there."

Shirou nodded. "Right, we need to offer Saber support."

"Not what I meant," Rin replied, "Saber seems to have everything under control as far as the Servant is concerned. But we can't let Sonic slip away. Not until I use some hypnosis to make him more manageable."

"You were serious about controlling him?" Shirou asked as they moved.

"Of course I was," Rin admonished her fellow Master, "Listen, Shirou, in this War, we can't afford to be careless. If an opportunity comes, we need to take it!"

"But what about that robot Saber mentioned?" Shirou stopped to look back at the battle taking place below. "Sonic might be the only one who can stop it." Judging from what Sonic had told him last night, Eggman's war machines were incredible powerful.

Rin sighed. "Look, Emiya-_kun_, you need to take the long view. Even if this 'killer robot' exists, we shouldn't get involved anyway."

"What?" Shirou couldn't believe his ears. "But what if it hurts someone?"

"People have already gotten hurt because of the War," Rin explained tiredly, "We can't spend our time snuffing out every brushfire. You have to take the longview; letting Sonic run around could expose Magecraft, remember? And if the Mage Association got wind of something like that happening in Fuyuki, they'll destroy the entire town. A flying saucer, or whatever…that's just a machine. An animal-person who can run at the speed of sound…" She shook her head. "No amount of 'gas leaks' can hide that. Being a mage requires more than just Magecraft. You need to be able to make the right decisions, not just for the present, but for the future as well."

Shirou was about to respond, to tell her that being cold-hearted and untrusting wouldn't be favorable for the future, when his words died in his mouth. In turning to Rin, his vision was now directed out a window. And past Rin, through the glass, he could see something in the darkened sky.

A big something. Flying.

Towards them.

* * *

Rider was in a pinch, that was certain. In terms of close-combat, Saber clearly had her outmatched. Running away wasn't an option either. Anytime she managed to break off from the lady knight, Sonic would knock Rider back into the fray. She was effectively being double-teamed.

"You seem quite eager to escape!" Saber shouted as she swung her sword at Rider. She missed, and brought it up to block a chain. "Did you not get enough mana from those innocents?"

"Is fighting two-against-one the way of a knight?" Rider challenged back, "This uneven battle hardly seems chivalrous."

"Creepy stalkers don't get to talk!" Sonic yelled from the sidelines. He wanted to help, but Saber had made it clear she would prefer to fight Rider on her own. The most he did was keep Rider from escaping. If she got away, she would devour the souls of other people. If all went well, tonight would be the end of…

"LOOK OUT!"

Shirou's yell cut through all three of their thoughts. Pausing in their battle, the two Servants looked up towards the window where Shirou was. The red-haired Master seemed to be pointing at-

The giant saucer landed in the school yard with the force of an elephant dropping. It's abrupt entrance shook the ground, causing everyone present to lose their footing.

It was easily the size of small house, with a red paint job. On its side was the emblem of the Eggman Empire. A pair of massive legs, like giant pillars of steel and gears, poked out of the bottom of the saucer, lifting it up. The center of the top opened, and out from that hole came a dome-like head, with a pair of giant glowing eyes positioned on one side.

**E-1076: **_**Arms**_

Arms' head swiveled around before stopping, staring at the school.

Where the Masters were.

A port opened up on Arms' saucer-body, and out from it came a long and large metal tube. It swiveled and wobbled about in the like a tentacle, and at the end of it was a giant clamp, opening and closing like a child pretending to be a crab.

Rin had been trained as a Mage since early childhood, and even learned some basic martial arts. She had spent ten years mentally preparing herself for the Holy War, and had long since conditioned herself to be ready for _anything. _But this display of machinery was so shocking, so unlike whatever she assumed would appear in the Heaven's Feel, that her otherwise impressive reflexes were dulled by sheer shock. Shirou, meanwhile, had nowhere near the training or any expectations about the War, or that a War was even brewing. He did, however, have some foreshadowing about the metal monstrosity. This was why he had to push Rin down when Arms launched its claw at their location.

"Look out, Tohsaka!" Shirou yelled as he tackled his classmate. Barely a second passed when the glass and part of the wall exploded open. The claw struck Shirou, knocking him off of Rin and sending him flying down the hall. His body bounced twice before coming to a stop as something small and shiny fell from his pocket.

"_SHIROU!_" Saber shrieked, and forgot all about Rider instantly. Running at Arms, she swung her sword down at the robot's appendage. Though the metal was made from an impressive alloy, a quality surpassing even the finest steel, Saber's blade had been forged in an ethereal plain, commissioned by the Lady of Lake herself. The sword of Saber cleaved through Arms' tentacle, creating sparks as both ends separated. As the claw fell from the school, Arms retracted the rest of its damaged limb. The minute it did, something fast and blue bounced off of its head, rocketing through the second hole in the school. Sonic gave Rin a quick once-over.

"You okay?" He asked, and when Rin nodded her head, shaken, he raced over to where Shirou was. "How about you?"

"I'll…live…" Shirou replied, and found that this was accurate. Though his entire body was one entire painful sensation, there were no wounds, bruises, or anything that suggested he had been attacked.

"Cool." Sonic was gone in a flash, running back towards the battle. Spinning out of the hole again, he bounced off of Arms' head and landed next to Saber. By that point Arms had two of its limbs out, and seemed intent on crushing Saber. But when it saw Sonic

"Shirou's fine, Saber," Sonic reported, and looked up at the robot. "Now, let's scrap this heap!"

Saber nodded curtly. Gripping her sword, she prepared for the robot's next strike. In the short time during Sonic's brief check-up on Shirou and Rin, Arms had tried to either crush her or take her sword away. It's claws were durable enough to withstand her sword's blade, and so she had to parry its assaults on her. This was very confusing for Arms, as according to its robotic eyes Saber didn't seem to be holding a sword.

But Arms was no longer interested in Saber. The minute it saw Sonic, Arms had a new mission. Here's how the robot's artificial thought process went;

_Objective; Retrieve Chaos Emerald: Interrupted__

_Does new subject have a sword? Maybe__

_!_

_Sonic the Hedgehog has been located__

_New objective: GET THE HEDGEHOG! And his little friend__

Arms stabbed his claws at Sonic, which the Hedgehog and Saber dodged, leaping to opposite sides. As the clamps were buried in the ground, Sonic took the opportunity to race up the tendrils and give Arms' head another Spinball tackle. As Arms' dome noggin shook from the impact, Saber made another attempt to slice the two claws off. Before she could get close enough, Arms began to spin its body about flailing its limbs about. Saber and Sonic hit the dirt and felt the wind as the robot's tentacles flew over them.

Up in the school building, Rin ran over to where Shirou was. By that point the Master of Saber was standing up, though still breathing heavily. He leaned against the wall, a bead of sweating dripping down his brow.

"Are…are you all right, Tohsaka?" Shirou asked, wiping his forehead. Things were happening so fast that he was exhausted just trying to keep up.

"I'm fine!" Rin shouted, a little hysterical. "But what about you!? You took a hit- _and you're not even injured!_"

"Rin, calm down," Shirou said, forgetting to use her family name. Right then, the girl's state of mind scared him more than the robot's attack.

"No! How the Hell do you keep doing it?!" Rin demanded, "First it was Berserker, and now this! You don't even have a scratch!"

"Rin, I don't know what happened with Berserker, but after he landed in my backyard, Sonic gave me some kind of charm," Shirou explained, "It was how he survived Lancer's _Gae Bolge_\- A magic ring."

"A ring…?" Shirou's answer didn't provide much information for Rin, but before she could demand more exposition, the building shook again. The two Masters rushed to an unbroken window to watch the fight.

Arms now had more tentacles out, about five from Shirou's guess. It was hard to count because the robot was flailing its limbs about so quickly while spinning its body around. Sonic and Saber jumped and ran to avoiding being struck, with Saber parrying any claw that got too close. Sonic was like a spiny blue pinball, bouncing around and between the swirling metal. At one point Saber seemed to slip, and a claw grabbed her. Rather than seeming alarm, Saber smirked. She still had her arms out, and swung her sword down, chopping the tentacle off and quickly pulled herself of the claw's grip before it even hit the ground. From that claw she leapt at Arms, extending to strike its main body, only to be rebuffed by another tentacle-claw. Luckily, the loss of the other claw gave Sonic and opening to land a hit on the robot's head, before jumping away to avoid being hit by another claw.

Rin was stunned. "Wh-what is that thing? I know Saber's abilities are weakened with you as her Master, but it's still a machine against a Heroic Spirit…and the machine is winning!"

Shirou was also impressed, but he had the context Rin lacked. The previous night, following the 'Projection Incident', the three of them- Sonic, Saber, and himself- had talked about the Hedgehog's life in his world. And from what Sonic mentioned, a recurring theme in his escapades were his encounters with the mad scientist, Dr. Eggman. If what Sonic suggested had even a kernel of truth to it, then he and the doctor had been fighting for years. In during those years, Eggman would surely have adapted his technology to keep up the Hedgehog's speed…speed that was superior to Lancer's, the fastest Servant. Of course, Shirou didn't think Saber was outmatched…but if the battle continued Homurahara Academy might suffer more damage.

But still, it rankled him. Sonic and Saber were fighting for their lives, while he was stuck on the sidelines. A vision of the fire flashed by his eyes…all those people, begging, screaming for help, and he, the only one who could move, did nothing. Shirou had swore to never be that useless again…and yet, here he was, once again unable to do anything. But just jumping in wouldn't save anyone- and Rin would probably try to stop him.

Rin!

"Rin, can you cast another spell, like the one you tried against Berserker?" Shirou asked, turning to the Mage.

Rin nodded. "Yes, but I don't know what good it will do," She replied, "That thing is able to resist Saber's sword, I doubt a _Gandr _would do much good."

"What if you knew where to aim?"

Rin turned to Shirou. "What do you mean?"

"I've fixed more than enough machines to get the gist of basic mechanics," Shirou explained, "If you damage the right part, jam a certain gear, the thing stops working. I doubt the robot will go down as simple as that, but maybe we could slow it down enough for Saber and Sonic to finish the job."

"I can't make a shot like that!" Rin hissed, "I'm not an Archer!"

"No, but _I _am," Shirou replied, growing more confident. He allowed himself a smile. "I was in the archery club for a reason, after all. I may not be good at magic, but I doubt there's a target I can't hit- I actually have to work to _miss._"

Rin didn't reply. She was staring at Shirou in shock- no, it was more like she was seeing someone else. After a moment, she nodded, her expression serious. Extending her arm, she closed her hand into a fist, save one protruding finger. A tiny ball of light began to glow at the end of the index finger. Shirou took Rin's arm, and slowly guided the pointed finger down at the robot. In order to better adjust his aim, he stepped closer to Rin, his face practically touching hers. If he hadn't been so focused on the robot, he would have been incredibly embarrassed, just as his fellow Master was.

"N-not so close, you dummy!" Rin hissed, so very glad there was no one who could see this.

Shirou wasn't paying attention to her. His entire being was on the robot. The rest of the world metaphorically melted away, save him, the robot, and the path of the projectile between the two. And even his own being ceased to be as he prepared to make the shot. To be a great archer, one had to suppress their sense of self to block out all distractions…and there was no denying that Shirou, due to the trauma he experienced during the fire, had very little self. He directed Rin's finger at the one of the sections where the legs connected with the main body. If he could damage that, the robot would be unbalanced, making it easier for Saber and Sonic to defeat.

"_Now!_" Shirou ordered.

Rin released her spell, her finger giving off a spark as the gem flew towards the robot. It struck the joint that connected Arms' leg and its foot, causing the machinery to emit sparks. the robot shifted and wobbled, but it didn't fall over. However, the brief moment it spent unbalanced was more than enough time for Saber to jump in and slice off two claws at once. With less claws to worry about, Sonic leapt in and struck Arms' head not once, but twice. As he rebounded, Sonic flashed the two humans a grin and a thumbs up. Bolstered by Sonic's actions, Shirou allowed himself a smile as well.

"Okay, Tohsaka, another one!" he ordered, feeling more confident.

"Got it!" Rin, no longer thinking about her compromising position, prepared another_ Gandr_. She no longer saw Arms as a freakish abnormality in her preconception of the world. It was now an enemy that could be destroyed. As her fingertip glowed, Shirou pointed it at the weakened component on the robot.

But before they could fire again, something shot down from the sky and blasted Arms, hitting a port where one of the remaining tentacles was. The robot staggered about, now seriously damaged. It's body began to emit electrical sparks.

"Whoa!" Sonic cried, landing away from Arms. "Where'd _that _come from?"

Up in the building, Shirou and Rin had frozen solid, but for different reasons. Shirou was just as stunned as Sonic and Saber were. Rin, on the other hand, was distracted by a voice in her head.

_How are you holding up, Rin? _Archer asked telepathically.

_Archer! Where the heck are you!? _Rin demanded through their mind-link.

_I'm on a building between your house and the Academy. Give me a minute, I'll have another shot ready-_

But before Archer could finish that sentence, Saber rushed in. Seizing the moment, she sliced both of Arms' legs off, causing the robot's main body to hit the ground. Rather than being defeated, Arms' saucer torso began to spin, floating up into the air. In response to this, Sonic ran up the wall of the school building, leaping off to deliver one more blow to the head. This was the last straw. Arms began to self-destruct, all of the stress and damaged it accumulated finally taking hold. The robot fell to the ground and exploded, sending burnt metal everywhere. Sonic landed next to Saber, who had remained unmoved. They stared at the pile of burning scrap.

"So, we just took down our first evil robot," The Hedgehog noted, and looked up to Saber. "Feel good?"

Saber exhaled. "I would be, if this were the final battle," She remarked, and glanced up at the sky. "But this is only the beginning, isn't it?"

Sonic shrugged. "Yup. What are ya gonna do?"

Saber just shook her head, and turned her gaze towards Shirou. So far, it looked like her Master and Rin were unharmed from the blast. Still, she would rest easier once she had returned to him.

Meanwhile, Rin and Archer were in a telepathic conference.

_I saw the robot explode. Are you unharmed? _The bowman asked.

_I'm fine, Archer. But get over here, this whole…thing has got me on pins and needles._

_I'll be there shortly. Although…_

_What?_

_Are you _sure _you need me? You seem to be quite comfortable where you are now._

That's when Rin realized. She and Shirou were still huddled together! Hell, Shirou still had her arm in his hand! Her cheeks ceased to remain a mild shade of red. Now, her entire face became reminiscent of a tomato. Now officially mortified, she mentally screamed at Archer to mind his own business, who broke the connection with a telepathic snicker. Without Archer to take her embarrassment out on, she turned her rage on Shirou.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, EMIYA-_KUN!?_" She yelled furiously, and pushed Shirou away. Or tried to. Because Shirou was better built of the two, even caught off-guard, he was mostly unmoved by Rin's shove. And so, the force of the movement ended up pushing_ Rin _away- and out the hole.

Into the air.

High above the ground.

"_Tohsaka!_" Shirou cried, reaching out to her. But he was too late. Rin shrieked and plummeted. Down below Sonic and Saber saw what was happening.

"Rin!" Saber gasped, and moved to catch Archer's Master. But before she could make progress, she felt Sonic tug on her dress.

"It's cool." He assured her.

Saber didn't understand how what was happening be 'cool'- until she saw what he saw.

Rin's downward trip to terra firma came to an abrupt halt when she felt something grab onto her from under her arms. She heard what sounded like very fluffy helicopter blades spinning. She looked up at whatever was holding her and gasped.

"Rin, how come you didn't tell me you and Archer were magic?" Tails asked, smiling brightly as his two tails spun.

Down on the ground, and in the school, Shirou and Saber gaped at this flagrant disrespect for the laws of physics.

"Told ya it was cool." Sonic commented, and waved. "Nice catch, little bro!"

Laughing, Tails returned the wave- before remembering that he almost dropped Rin. The Tohsaka Mage gave a rather undignified yelp as she almost fell from Tails' grip.

* * *

Once Archer had arrived, all parties convened in front of the remains of Arms. Shirou wiped some dirt off of the robot's body to reveal a symbol that looked like a round face with glasses, a mustache, and a wide crazed grin. Behind him, Sonic and Tails were having a pretty casual reunion.

"Glad to see you're doing okay, Tails," Sonic said, giving the fox a friendly rub on the head. "I don't suppose you know where Knux and Amy are, do you?"

Tails shook his head as Sonic removed his hand. "No…I guess they're not with you, huh?"

"Haven't seen 'em," Sonic sighed, and waved at Shirou and Saber. "That's Shirou and Saber. I've been hanging out at their pad. Where've you been?

Tails grinned. "How does a night in a giant mansion sound to you? It belongs to that girl over there, Rin," He gestured towards Archer. "This is Archer, he's pretty cool."

"But not cooler than _me, _right?" Sonic asked.

"Almost…but not quite." Tails admitted. Behind him, Archer raised an eyebrow. The blue hedgehog was cooler than him?

"Heh. So, what brings you around here, stranger?" Sonic asked his little buddy.

"Archer and I saw the robot while we were out in the city," Tails explained, "I followed after it while he decided to find a building to aim from- He's the one who made the shot. Oh yeah, I forgot! Sonic, Archer's-"

"A magic ghost, right?" Sonic interrupted, watching the muscular man walk up.

Tails' ears twitched. "Wow, how'd you know?"

Sonic jerked a thumb at Saber. "Saber over there is one, too."

"The term is Servant," Archer corrected, crossing his arms. "And how did you come to that conclusion, might I ask?"

Sonic smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I'd like to know as well," Rin said, and cast Shirou a dark look. "Emiya, how come this newcomer knows about Saber and Archer?"

Shirou sighed. There was no avoiding it. "Last night, when Sonic first arrived at my house, I told him about the Holy Grail War."

"You what?!" Rin's voice echoed into the night air.

Shirou held up a hand. He had anticipated this. "Listen, whether you like it or not, Sonic and Tails are different from other people. They have no choice but to hide from the rest of the world. But Sonic has a sense of justice that won't let him sit idly by when Servants like Lancer are stealing Mana from innocent people. If they know about the War, it'll be easier for them to act in secret."

Tails blinked. "War? What war?"

Shirou bent down to Tails' level and said, "It's a bit complicated, but for now you just need to know that there are other people like Saber and Archer…and that we're going to have to fight them to protect the city."

"Emiya-_kun_…" Rin grimaced. While Shirou have something resembling a point, she felt that his logic was a bit too simplistic.

"And in any case, it's not them we should be worried about. It's this machine, " Shirou pointed out, "Why did it come here, to this place?"

Rin's anger at Shirou's carelessness faded slightly as she thought about it too. "Hmm, don't think I'm going to let you off easy, but that's something to consider. It's not like this school has anything going for it. It's not in a strategic location magically or even militaristically speaking."

"Magically?" Tails asked, confused.

Rin sighed. "If you're going to know about magic, then you might as well learn more than Shirou's half-assed knowledge. Listen, there certain points in Fuyuki where leylines intersect. These areas are…"

As Rin lectured, Sonic got bored and walked over to Saber. The blond Heroic Spirit was looking up at the sky.

"What's up?" He asked her.

"She got away," Saber looked back at Sonic intently, "The other Servant."

Sonic snapped his fingers. "Oh right, her," Looking frustrated, he yelled over to the others, "Yo! We got another problem here!"

Rin, Shirou, and Tails looked at Sonic. Rin had just finished explaining to Tails about the leylines of Fuyuki, and how they enabled the Heaven's Feel. She had said more than she intended to, but deep down she needed to think about something _familiar _in the face of the robot's attack. She had been too stunned to even think by the machine's assault, and much to her embarrassment, it had been the normally dull-witted Emiya who came up with an plan.

"What's up, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Don't panic, but there's another Servant on the loose," the Hedgehog explained, "And she's nowhere as cool as Saber."

Archer raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" He already had his suspicions on what Servant had been prowling around Homurahara Academy in the dead of night. At least, if the timeline hadn't been as badly effected by the inclusion of Sonic and his friends as he hoped.

Sonic began trace an hourglass in the air. "Total babe. Wears a blindfold. Lots of purple hair, but no personality."

"I think Archer meant what kind of Servant she was." Rin said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"She said she was Rider." Sonic replied.

"When we fought, she used chains with spikes at the end." Saber put in.

"Okay, _that _is what we need to focus on," Rin nodded, "I only wish we could have gotten her to reveal her Noble Phantasm before the robot landed. We'd be one step closer to figuring out her identity…"

"Sonic, you were fighting Rider before Saber caught up with you," Shirou said, "Did she do anything…?"

Sonic thought for a moment. "Well, she didn't use her chains for anything special, but…"

"But?" Tails asked.

"Just before we ended up outside, she took off her blindfold and I froze up," Sonic explained, "I mean…my entire body went stiff, or something."

Shirou glanced up at the hole Sonic and Rider created in the school building. "But if she paralyzed you, how…?"

Sonic grinned. "I was already doing a Spin Dash when it happened. I guess being stiff and stopping are two different things."

Archer raised an eyebrow. "Spin Dash? What's that?"

"It's this cool move Sonic does that lets him charge up his speed," Tails piped up, "That way, he can go from zero to over a hundred in a second. I can do it, too!"

Tails crouched down (Which Rin, in spite of herself, thought was adorable). Then, he became an orange ball, spinning in place to the amazement of the Masters and Servants. As he spun, a whirring noise was heard, stopping when Tails shot off, speeding across the grass. It seemed like he would hit a wall, but before that happened, the fox jumped, jumped against and off the wall with his feet and did a magnificent flip before hovering with his spinning tails.

Sonic shot his little buddy a thumbs up. "Nice one, bro!"

Shirou found himself unable to stare. He had seen it before, but even then couldn't believe it. Even though he was a Mage, fighting alongside Heroic Spirits, and having just survived a robot attack, the sight of a fox-person flying like that was just too implausible.

Rin, meanwhile, was thinking about what Sonic had said. _His body was paralyzed the minute she revealed her eyes…What hero has magic eyes…_

Archer, on the other hand, thought, _Judging from what Saber and Sonic are saying, the Rider in this timeline is the same as the one in mine. If I recall, she brought out a pegasus to fight Saber with… Magic eyes, pegasus…_

Shirou's voice broke Archer's contemplation. "Archer, did you see anyone like that while sniping the robot?"

Archer gave Shirou a look. "If I had, I would have said so. Rider must have run off to avoid trouble."

"Let me take a quick look around." Sonic offered, and he was gone in a flash.

As the cloud of dust kicked up by Sonic's departure settled,, Shirou found himself looking back at the scrap heap. Even though it had attacked the school and nearly killed him, he couldn't help but be in awe at it. Unlike most mages, who were disdainfully of machines, Shirou could appreciate the technology that made this marvel possible.

_Too bad it was probably built by a madman, _he thought gloomily. Why were newest wonders in his life controlled by either villains or jerks?

"I doubt he'll find her," Rin commented, rubbing her eyes. "Even if Rider's still here, she's probably went into her astral form. We should leave, too. Even if the Boundary Field I set up will keep ordinary people away, it's only a matter of time if another Master or Servant shows up."

Shirou sighed and pulled himself away from Arms. "It's too bad this thing doesn't have a Servant radar we could use."

Rin rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Emiya_-kun, _Servants are formed from Magecraft, they can't appear on radar."

But Shirou's words had a much more pronounced effect on Archer. They caused a connection to form in his mind. And that connection led to answers that would probably set his Master off again.

"Actually, I think they do," The bowman said, and looked at Tails. "Tails, this Doctor Eggman would be looking for Chaos Emeralds too, right?"

Tails nodded. "Yeah, he'll need them to power his weapons."

"And that Chaos Emerald detector you showed me…how commonplace is the technology?"

Tails shrugged. "It's not that widespread, but Eggman knows how to build one too- Uh-oh!"

The little fox turned on his Miles Electric and began to fiddle with the settings. At this point Sonic returned. It was clear from the disgruntled expression on his face that the search was unsuccessful. When he saw Tails and the Miles Electric, he tugged at Saber's dress.

"Hey, what'd I miss?" Sonic asked.

the lady knight glanced down at Sonic before looking back at Tails. "Archer was talking about radar, which spurred your companion to action. I confess, I do not understand what they are getting at."

It was then that Tails spoke up. "Yeah, the Miles Electric is picking up several energy signatures," He reported, "Besides a field around us, it seems like there are several sources right on top of us."

Archer grimaced. "I thought so." _Perfect. Just what we needed, _another _complication!_

"What?" Rin asked, confused. "What is it? What's that thing for?"

"Rin, this device is capable of detecting the energy contained within Chaos Emeralds," Archer explained, "But it can't differentiate between them and the power of Servants," He glanced at the robot, and everyone followed suite. "That's how Tails was able to figure out I was a 'magic ghost'. And why the robot came here, I think. It thought the combined energy of your boundary field, Saber, and Rider, was a Chaos Emerald waiting to be picked up."

"Archer, that's impossible," Rin replied, though she didn't sound so convinced. "I mean, if a machine can find Servants, or even Boundary Fields…"

This was certainly news, especially for Shirou, Rin, and Saber. The idea that a mechanical device could find Servants or even Magecraft itself was a jarring one. Unlike spells, which required a certain spiritual aptitude to use, a machine could be used by the technology became widespread, the secrecyof Magecraft could be jeopardized. As they took Archer's theory in, another piece of metal from Arms fell.

"Ugh…let's just go home," Rin decided. So far the entire night had been a roller coaster of surprises and revelations, and now she wanted off. "I need to restock my jewels, and…" She pointed at Shirou, "_You _need to stop doing suicidal things and surviving, all right?"

Shirou blinked. "Um…"

"Well, you guys be careful," Sonic cut in, "Me and Tails have some friends to find. We'll see you tomorrow morning!"

Before any of the humans could say another word, Sonic took off, becoming a blue dot in the distance. Tails flew after him.

"Bye, Rin, Archer!" He called back, "You don't need to leave a light on for me, I can get back inside, no problem!"

"H-Hey! Get back here!" Rin yelled, but it was too late. They were both gone. The Masters and Servants stared in silence, almost waiting for the other shoe to drop. When nothing happened, Shirou turned to Rin, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

"So, I…guess I'll see you tomorrow, Tohsaka-_san_?" He asked.

Rin's response was the meanest glare ever. And was that a tear on the edge of her eye?

* * *

Rider leapt through the air, invisible to all except her Master. Tonight had been very…eventful, to say the least. While it had only been a matter of time before her prowling had attracted the attention of another Servant, the creature that attacked her was another matter. Judging from how they interacted, the it and Saber were no doubt on friendly terms. Perhaps it had been summoned by Saber's Master. It hadn't been another Servant, that was for sure. But it's strength was on par with one, however, and it seemed to be immune to her Mystic Eyes. If Saber had an ally like that, it did not bode well for Rider. If that large machine had not appeared, her role in the War would have ended far sooner than she wanted. At the very least, she would have been forced to use Bellaphoron

She sighed, knowing that she would receive a bawling out from her current Master for apparently failing. She only hoped that he wouldn't take it out on her _true_ Master…

Rider felt her chest ache in pain, right where Sonic had hit her. She needed to replenish her mana. Hopefully, she would find someone out and about. The night was still young.

* * *

Knuckles walked the lone streets of Fuyuki, his senses alert for even the tiniest twinge of power. It had been a very boring day, for him at least. The transport must have been more tiring than he thought, as he spent the morning and afternoon napping. At least his new friend Caster had been nice enough to let him sleep in. But he had dozed long enough. It was time to find the Chaos Emeralds, before Doctor Eggman did. He wasn't too concerned about his friends. He knew they were tough, and could take care of themselves. He had no doubt that they would find each other again. But if Knuckles didn't find the Chaos Emeralds, none of them would be able to get home. And if Eggman got them again…

Knuckles was pulled out of his revere by the sound of people talking. Remembering what Caster had told him last night, he ducked into a nearby ally, taking refuge behind some garbage cans. Coming up were a pair of humans, a teenaged girl in a school uniform, accompanied by a tan man wearing a red long coat. Slung over his back was a bag of what seemed like…metal parts?

"…so far the night has been one disaster after another," A teenaged human girl was saying, "Between that robot and Sonic running around, we'll be lucky if the whole War doesn't end up on television."

"Just be glad it happened at night, Rin," The man said, "If you want, we can go looking for them."

Rin sighed, "The way that egotistical hedgehog moves, we couldn't catch him anyway. Let's just hope he doesn't let anyone see him again."

In his hiding place, Knuckles arched an eyebrow. _So, these guys have seen Sonic, huh? Good to know he's doing all right. What's this war they're trying to keep secret?_

"So, what are you going to do, then?" The man said, "We can't let Sonic run rampant, can we?"

"We'll take care of him tomorrow," Rin decided, "I've put too much preparation into this war to let some…mascot character ruin everything I've worked for."

As the two walked off, Knuckles glared at them from the darkness. _Looks like Caster was right. This city _is_ full of dangerous characters. I'd better find those Emeralds before one of them falls into the wrong hands!_

* * *

Sonic and Tails raced around the city, leaping over hydrants and darting between shadows. Despite Rin's fears, they were careful not to be seen- not that it mattered. Due to the constant attacks caused by Servants like Lancer and Rider, nobody was out on the streets to begin with. After a while they stopping running and just walked.

"Man, I don't know why Shirou was so worried about us being spotted," Sonic commented, "This city couldn't be any deader than if it was a ghost town."

"If attacks like what happened at the school are commonplace, then I guess a curfew must be in effect," Tails replied, fiddling with the Miles Electric. He looked up at Sonic. "Still, I can't believe that on top of finding our friends, the Emeralds, _and _stopping Dr. Eggman, we also have to deal with a, a, magical gang war run by a secret society, I guess?"

"Yeah, it is a lot to take in all at once," Sonic affirmed casually, "Just do what I do, focus on the bad guys we're gonna beat."

Tails chuckled. "Yeah, 'cause backstory happens to other people, right?"

Sonic gave Tails a thumbs up. "You know it."

"So…speaking of bad guys, have you seen any other Servant?" Tails asked.

"Just one more," Sonic said, raising a finger of declaration. "Lancer. He's got a magic spear that let's him warp, so that he's already stabbing you, or whatever. So if you fight him, make sure to get it away from him."

"Whoa, that's kind of intense," Tails said, looking a little perturbed. "Uh, do Power Rings help?"

"Oh, sure," Sonic replied. He self-consciously rubbed his stomach as he remembered. "Doesn't stop the pain, but it beats having a pointy stick in your heart."

Tails gulped. "I, uh…lost all of my rings when the _Tornado _crashed."

"Oh, jeez! You should have said something," Sonic fished into one of his gloves and pulled out three rings. "Here, have some of mine."

Tails gladly took the rings and put them into his own. As he did, the Miles Electric began to beep, almost causing him to drop them. Making sure the Power Rings were snug in his gloves, Tails examined the screen of the PDA.

"What's up?" Sonic asked.

"According to this, there's a high energy signature nearby," Tails reported.

"There is? Where?" Sonic began looking around eagerly.

"Just about a dozen meters ahead," Tails replied, and looked to Sonic. "And it's getting closer."

"Sounds another Servant wants to party," Sonic assumed, and did a few stretches. "Wonder which one it is?"

"I…don't know," Tails sounded worried, "But whatever it is, it's a lot stronger than the reading I got from Archer and Saber combined."

"Hmm…maybe it's a Chaos Emerald instead," Sonic considered. He took Tails by the arm. "C'mon."

The pair zipped over and hid behind a street corner mailbox. Silence ensued as they waited. The night air, combined with the tension as they waited for whatever was coming to reach them created a chill. Unfortunately, it wasn't a full moon that night- it wasn't even a crescent, and besides which, the sky was cloudy. But maybe that was perfect for the situation; an obscured moon for an unknown enemy. Of the two, Tails' heartbeat was slightly faster. This could be his first time fighting a Heroic Spirit. Sonic's pulse was a bit calmer, but he too was tense. Just waiting for things to happen wasn't his style. Just as night wind pushed a cloud away from the moon, they saw what was coming.

It was a little girl dressed in a winter coat, with a little furry hat on her head. Her long white hair was like snow, and her big, red eyes looked too much like pools of blood for either Sonic or Tails' comfort.

"It's just a kid," Tails whispered, bewildered.

"Yeah, a little kid out on her own at night in a city where mysterious murders happen," Sonic muttered, a touch of sarcasm in his voice. "_That_'s not suspicious at _all._"

The girl continued her stroll, walking at slow pace. She hummed a happy song, swinging her legs out as she took each step. She almost appeared to be daydreaming. She then stopped, and looked around.

"I know you're there!" She called out cheerfully, "You can come out now!"

Behind the mailbox, Sonic and Tails exchanged worried looks.

"You don't think she's talking to _us_, do you?" Tails asked, whispering nervously.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Nah, I'm sure she's calling out to the _other _Hedgehog and Fox hiding behind a mailbox."

Tails sighed. "Thought so," He glanced at the Miles Electric. "Weird…it seems like the signal's coming directly from _her_!"

Sonic kept his eyes on the girl. "Y'know, I had a feeling it was like that."

It was at this point the lone child said, "You don't have to hide from me~! I won't bite~!"

Somehow, Sonic had trouble believing that. Still, keeping still wasn't his strong point. To Tails he said, "Well, we shouldn't keep a lady waiting. Let's go."

"Aren't we supposed to stay away from people?" Tails asked.

"We're supposed to keep clear of _normal_ folks," Sonic countered, "And I'm pretty sure that bundle energy is anything but."

Sonic walked out from his hiding spot and stood in the center of the street, directly facing the little girl. After a moment, Tails followed him, taking his place by Sonic's left side. He tucked the Miles Electric on his back via a strap. The little girl's red eyes lit up when she saw Sonic, and she clapped her hands together eagerly.

"I knew it, it's you!" She gasped happily.

Sonic rubbed his finger under his nose, smirking. On the outside. "It's me."

"You're the guy who was fighting Lancer last night, aren't' you?" The girl asked, "I remember seeing something zipping around the city…and then there was that explosion! That was you guys, right?"

"Kinda," Sonic admitted, his smirk fading. There was something about this child that was creeping him out. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing out here this late?"

"Me?" The girl put on an expression of innocence. "I'm just looking around. I've never been to Japan before, so I wanted to get the feel of the city."

"But, all by yourself?" Tails asked, "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Yeah, I don't suppose you've heard, but there are some pretty nasty characters out and about." Sonic put in, narrowing his eyes, "Be a shame if one of them got ahold of you."

The girl giggled, and it didn't sound at all innocent. "Oh, you two are real sweet to worry about little ol' me! But it's all right," She smiled like a cat about to eat the canary. "_I'm_ _never alone_."

As she said these words, the air around her began to ripple, and a large form appeared behind her. It's body faded into existence bit by bit, like a Cheshire Cat. But what materialized was as far from a feline as can be. It was man-shaped, with skin colored a dark grey, like cooked steel. It's entire body was covered in muscles, so tense that they might as well been carved from stone. It came with a massive stone sword that had a jagged edge, and fit rather snugly in the behemoth's hand. On it's face was a scowl that seemed to be stuck, and it's eyes…were not eyes at all, but twin balls of fire that burned. If the eyes represented the soul, then this soul was full of rage, an anger that wanted to lash out and crush anything close enough. Its very presence seemed to press into the pavement.

The girl curtsied. "I am Illyaseviel Von Einzbern, Master of Berserker," She introduced, "And I wonder how well you'd fair against _my _Servant?"

Tails felt his jaw drop, and his tails go limp. "Dah…_big…_"

Sonic swallowed. Pointing a shaky finger at Berserker, he asked, "Um…I don't suppose your name is Achilles, is it?"

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

_Tiger Dojo:_

**Taiga: **Without further delay, it's the Tiger Dojo! Fujimura Taiga, your _sensei_, has arrived!

**Illya: **And the number one student is here as well!

**Taiga: **Indeed, you are here, in both senses of the word!

**Illya: **Hmph, it took long enough for me to appear in the main story. Maybe now _Onii-chan _will get a proper heroine this time!

**Taiga: **Funny you should mention that. Our first question is from a Ms. Topaz, who asks who the heroine of _Genesis _will be.

**Illya: **It'll obviously be me. Those other stupid girls have had too much attention already. They're even making a movie based on the _Heaven's Feel _route where I died!

**Taiga: **Aren't you the main character of a spin-off _manga?_

**Illya: **That doesn't count, it takes place in an alternate universe. It's completely different from the main continuity.

**Taiga: **That is a good point. But, getting back to the topic at hand, the position of Heroine in the original visual novel was determined by the structure of the storyline; _Fate_ focused on the Holy Grail War, making Saber the heroine. Rin became the heroine because of Archer's plan in _Unlimited Blade Works_, and due to Zouken's evil in _Heaven's Feel_, Sakura got her Happy Ending.

**Illya: **So, the title of Heroine goes to whoever _Onii-chan _thinks about the most? Then all I need is more screen time, and I'm sure to become the Heroine!

**Taiga: **Hold your horses! That's how it is in _Fate/Stay Night_, but things are different now! This is a crossover with the _Sonic _series! And in _Sonic_, romance is never important!

**Illya: **You mean there won't _be _a Heroine? That's not fair!

**Taiga: **Life is never fair, my student. If it was, this unsung heroine would be getting her a spin-off of her own! Hmph!

**Illya: **I'm starting to get depressed. Let's move on to our next question. Element-OverLord writes, "Will Shirou be able to Chaos Techniques like Shadow?" Hmm, that's an interesting thought, but I doubt it.

**Taiga: **Oh? How can you be so sure?

**Illya: **The Chaos Emeralds are similar to the Holy Grail, aren't they? Get all seven, and the ultimate power is released. But they're not omniscient. You need to present them with a method before you're able to do anything. And _Onii-chan_'s affinity is Sword, and papa never taught him any of the Emiya clan's time-manipulation Magecraft. Even if the Emeralds do enhance his power, it's unlikely that Shirou will gain any new skills.

**Taiga: **Ah, just as putting chocolate syrup on vanilla will make the ice cream tastier, it won't change that it's vanilla.

**Illya: **That's a dumb metaphor, but yeah.

**Taiga: **Hmm…so many different things are happening now. Dr. Eggman has begun his assault on Fuyuki, Sonic and Tails have reunited, but Amy and and Knuckles are still lost in the city. What's more, the strongest Servant has appeared! What will happen? Tune in next time, to find out!

**Illya: **Good bye!


	3. Kick the Rock!

Chapter 3: _Kick the Rock!_

Behold, a scene unlike any the world- ours or another's- have been host to. A street, deserted with the exception of four beings. An invisible line drawn, dividing the group into two sides. On one side, the fastest and coolest thing on two feet, Sonic the Hedgehog. Accompanying his was his best friend-slash-sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower, the two-tailed fox. Opposite of them was the tiny Master of the Holy Grail War, Illyaseviel von Einzbern. And at her side…

"RAAARGH!" Berserker swung his sword down at the dynamic duo before him. Sonic leapt to the side, pulling Tails along to avoid being crushed by the stone blade. The weapon crashed into the pavement, the force of its impact creating a fissure in the ground. A mere second later, Sonic shot from where he had left Tails and at Berserker in a spinning ball. His motion was so fast that the rage-filled Servant couldn't see it coming.

WHAM!

Sonic's body shook as he rammed foot first into Berserker's forehead. The Heroic Spirit, however, didn't react in the slightest. After a moment, Sonic fell back on the street, seemingly paralyzed.

"Sonic!" Tails exclaimed in alarm.

"Ow, ow, ow, okay, _ow_…" Sonic muttered, rubbing his legs as he pulled himself up. He heard a rushing sound and zipped away from Berserker's sword before it crashed into the pavement again. He then had to rush to another spot as Berserker charged. And again. And again.

It was like a repeat of his scuffle with Lancer over the Gae Bolge, with the Servant trying and failing to reach Sonic, but there were few crucial differences. One, the Servant still had his weapon. Two, Berserker's heavy body meant that their game of Cat-and-Mouse was causing more damage to the street than the one with Chu Chulainn. The area shook as if being hit by mortar shells. But the most striking difference of all was Sonic's suspicions that if Berserker got his hands on him, even Power Rings wouldn't be enough.

"You'll need to do more than that if you want to beat my Berserker!" Illya called out tauntingly, "After all, he's the legend of Greece, the mighty Herakles!"

_So much for going after his heel. _Sonic thought as he slid under Berserker's legs. Recoiling off of a street light pole, Sonic slammed into Berserker's back. Because the Servant was already slightly hunched over from a previous strike, this caused Berserker to…stumble slightly, before standing back up to turn and glare at Sonic. He lunged at the Hedgehog, who once more zipped out of his range of fire. Within a second there was no more street light.

Tails watched the spectacle, stunned at all the destruction being caused. "Oh, man! This is getting intense!" He looked around worriedly. "I hope no cops show up…"

Illya must have heard him, for she said, laughing, "Oh, you don't have to worry about any non-Mage interference, Mr. Fox! I already cast a Boundary Field to keep them out. And I certainly don't sense any of the other Masters around," She began speak in sing-song. "You're on your own~"

Tails gulped up, and found himself bouncing slightly as another of Berserker's missed strikes shook the pavement. While Sonic's was too fast to be struck, every miss made Berserker angrier. And the angrier Berserker became, the stronger and more powerful his blows became. In time, even a near miss would have repercussions.

Landing next to Tails, Sonic panted. "Okay, this isn't working," Raising his voice, he yelled, "Time out!"

Amazingly, Berserker froze. Off to the side, Illya cocked her head in confusion. "What? What is it?"

"I just got a question," Sonic said, "Do you have Herculoid here go out people-hunting, or whatever?"

Illya scrunched her face up and puffed out her cheeks adorably. "Fuuh! Don't be mean! I'm not some weak Mage with poor Circuits! I'm the strongest Master with the strongest Servant! I don't need to send Berserker out like Lancer or Rider's Master!"

"That's all I needed to hear," Sonic took Tails by the arm. "Later!"

And in a flash they were gone, leaving behind a trail of dust in their wake. Although it was hard to tell due to the night's darkness, a increasingly small dot could be seen on the horizon. Illya and Berserker blinked uncomprehendingly at what happened.

Then Illya caught on. "Hey! Get back here!" Fuming, she turned to Berserker and pointed down the road. "Go after them, Berserker!"

Berserker didn't even bother to nod. The pavement under his feet cracked from the pressure as he took off in a run, following after the escaping heroes. With each step he took, another crack in the street was made, making it seem like someone had taken a sledgehammer to the road.

"…Hey, wait for me!" The Einzbern Master cried and ran after her Servant, and proceeded to demonstrate a vocabulary too advanced for her apparent age.

Further ahead, Tails tried to keep his grip on the Mile Electric with his free hand as Sonic pulled him by his other arm. Although it was hard to tell with their velocity, he thought he heard something behind him. Daring a peek over his shoulders, the fox saw none other than Berserker bearing down on them! Although Sonic was faster, the mad Servant had a far longer stride, and no need to go around obstacles. Precious seconds spent jumping over hydrants and going around mailboxes gave the Heroic Spirit time to close the gap.

"Sonic, he's catching up!" Tails yelled in a panic.

Sonic groaned. "Figures. Okay, here's the plan. I'll keep Bizarro-kles busy. You fly around and look for a CCS."

Tails nodded. While he was still a bit worried, the fact that Sonic hadn't given up raised his spirits. As he began to spin his namesake limbs around, he said, "Let's re-sync our comms before I go!"

"Right!" Sonic pulled up his glove and Tails', revealing wristwatch like bands with small screens and speakers, and pushed the buttons. After a minute, a cheerful 'Beep' was heard.

Tails took to the sky, giving Sonic a wave before going off and away. Berserker didn't even give the departing fox a glance. His mind, diminished by a rage that was not entirely his, was completely set on the Hedgehog.

Get the Hedgehog.

Catch the Hedgehog.

_Crush the Hedgehog!_

* * *

While this high-speed high-stakes chase of life and death was being run, Shirou and Saber were taking a leisurely walk back towards the Emiya estate. The only part relaxed about them was their pace, however. Many questions were buzzing through their minds as they tried to consider on what course they should take for the War, especially now that they knew that the city would be attacked by giant robots. They were lucky the first one had appeared at night, and in a relatively deserted area. It would have been a disaster if the battle had taken place in daylight. Though, admittedly, a robot wasn't likely to expose the existence of Magecraft, it would be impossible for them to fight in public.

And then there was the robot itself. It was big, dangerous, and could even put Saber on her guard. Shirou knew that if it hadn't been for the Power Ring Sonic lent him, the robot would have killed him then and there. The Emiya Master glanced at Saber, walking alongside him with a neutral expression on her face. While she appeared disinterested, Shirou suspected that his Servant was thinking about the dangers the robots presented. He didn't want her to risk herself again. Not for him.

Before he could express these concerns, Saber spoke up. "Shirou, I would like to ask something of you."

"Huh?"

"If Dr. Eggman sends another machine to attack, I want you not to interfere," She said, "The next time a robot appears, please run away. Do not risk yourself."

Shirou stared at her wordlessly. How could she ask that? After the way she risked her own life! But before he could respond, a faint whirring noise caught his attention. Looking up, he saw something orange flying in the night sky.

"Is that Tails?" He asked, pointing.

Saber looked as well, and with her superior senses saw that's exactly who it was. "Tails!"

For a moment, it seemed like the two-tailed fox didn't hear them. Then, he turned back and lowered himself to the Master and Servant's level.

"Saber! Shirou!" Tails said, "Quick, do you know if there's a construction site around here?"

Shirou was baffled by Tails' request, as well as the harried tone he said it in. "I-I think there's a building being built east from here, but what do you want to know?"

"Did something happen?" Saber asked, "Where's Sonic?"

"That's what I'm talking about!" Tails, flying off. "Sonic's fighting a Servant! A giant monster called Berserker!"

_Berserker!_

Horrified, Shirou chased after Tails. "Tails, wait! Saber, we-!" Looking back at his Servant, he saw that she was already in motion.

While Saber knew that a confrontation was inevitable, she couldn't believe how quickly her rematch with Berserker had come. Not that she had been in any particular hurry to fight the monstrous Servant. Neither she nor Rin or Archer had come up with a plan to counter the godly might of Herakles at this time, their planning sidetracked by the appearance of Sonic and co.. It was definitely too soon for them to consider another fight with the Einzbern Servant. That said, they also couldn't allow Sonic to face that behemoth on his own. Changing back into her armor, the lady knight increased her speed as she followed Tails.

* * *

Sonic, meanwhile, had fallen into a rut. Without Tails to weigh him down slightly, the Hedgehog was having a better time keeping ahead of Berserker. His superior speed was such that even the Servant's large strides weren't enough to bridge the gap. But a Servant's strength did not come just from their myths- the power of their Master had to be taken into consideration. A Servant was not just brought into the world by their Master, but that Master also gave them the Mana needed to utilize their Noble Phantasm, or even exist. What made the Berserker class so dangerous was that they consumed Mana without pause, and often enough killed their own Masters from tapping the well dry.

But Illya was a far superior class of Master. She had been designed by the Einzbern family to process the maximum amount of Mana a living being could manage. And she was so skilled that she had perfect control over her Servant. Berserker did not have to worry about his energy. It would only be a matter of time before Sonic tired out and be at the giant's nonexistence mercy.

Sonic, however, wasn't patient enough to wait for that to happen. Thanks to his previous "running duel" with Lancer, he already had a decent understanding of the city's layout, so a plan was beginning to form. Taking a quick turn, Sonic led Berserker off of the street and down a park path. He zipped past a garbage can, banging it slightly as he grabbed something sticking out of the top. Berserker knocked it over. Sonic checked the banana peel he had snagged and was happy- though a bit disgusted- to see that it was sufficiently aged. Spotting a railing that went down, Sonic put his plan into motion. Dropping the peel, the raced over to the top of the stairs and ducked. Had Sonic been summoned to Fuyuki as a proper Servant, his luck skill would have been A+, for against all odds Berserker stepped on that peel. Ordinarily, slipping on a banana peel would have only tripped someone up momentarily, but Berserker's momentum had sent him airborne, causing him to fly over Sonic's head and down the stairs. Berserker bellowed and raged as he tumbled. Had he not been consumed with fury, the hero Herakles could have easily caught his balance. But the Berserker-class' strength was in a way its own weakness, empowering the Heroic Spirit at the cost of its sanity. Flailing, Berserker pulled out the railing out from the stone as he tried to stop himself, and ended up wrapping himself in metal.

Sonic watched this with disinterest.

"I must be getting old, the banana-peel gag used to be funny," He remarked. There was a loud crash and a car alarm blared, causing him to wince. "I hope that was insured," his communicator beeped. "Tails?"

"Sonic! I found a CCS! Just follow the GPS to my position!" Tails voice blared over the tiny speaker.

"Got it. See you there."

The screen flickered, then showed an arrow that spun around before pointing in one direction. Sonic looked that way and nodded. Before running, he glanced down and saw Berserker glaring at him, having pulled himself from what used to be a Toyota. Sonic gave a the Heroic Spirit a mocking wave before speeding off, and the Servant resumed his pursuit.

* * *

CCS; **C**onvenient **C**onstruction **S**ite. To the imaginative warrior with plenty of ingenuity and no weapons, a building zone can turn even the most one-sided of fights around. Jackhammers, cement mixers, and even And in large cities, there was always at least one construction project being held. And at night, security was always lax. This was why no one raised a fuss when a two-tailed fox boy arrived. Tails gave a quick look around and was happy to see that everything he and Sonic would need to take down Berserker had been left out by the typical lax standards. But he would have to set things up, first. By the time Shirou and Saber reached the site, Tails was hard at work, dragging bags of cement across the yard.

"What's he doing?" Shirou asked.

"I do not know for certain, but if I were to guess, I would say he is setting up a trap of sorts," Saber replied. She had already materialized her armor. "A skilled warrior also utilizes the terrain to their advantage." Still, it was obvious that despite their talk last night, Sonic was underestimating the power of a Servant- especially since that Servant was Berserker. Mundane traps would do little to slow the Heroic Spirit- they would, at worst, make him angry.

"Shirou, go help Tails," Saber ordered, summoning her sword. "I will be on guard in case any enemies appear."

Shirou nodded. "Right. How long do you think we have before someone shows up?"

Saber sensed a presence approaching and closed her eyes in consternation. "None whatsoever."

The both of them turned and saw a huge dust cloud on the horizon, accompanied by a subtle series of tremors. In seconds Sonic the Hedgehog had arrived. As he entered the compound, Sonic leapt over the Master and Servant, landing near a water cooler. After giving himself a quick drink, he ran over to where Tails was.

"Need a hand, shorty?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic!" Tails looked around. "What happened? Where's Berserker?"

A loud crash answered Tails' question. Gulping, he turned to look at the source of the noise. Berserker stood at the entrance, more specifically, he stood at the new hole in the fence surrounding the site. Before him stood Saber and Shirou, who were both tense and confused at the monstrous Servant's appearance. But mostly confused. Mostly because Berserker now had several jagged pieces of metal and glass stuck in his hair. Not to mention a bumper sticker with the phrase "Wide Load" had gotten stuck on his chest.

"Uh, new question…what happened to _him_?" Tails asked, pointing. "Did he fall into someone's car?"

"Pretty much."

Berserker must have heard Sonic, for he directed his red-as-the-flames-of-Hell-eyes at the Hedgehog and put all of his terrible rage into one fearsome glare. He then raised his mighty stone sword- which now had a stop sign impaled on the end- and _charged. _Sonic shoved Tails and leapt away, just in time to avoid being crushed by the impending blade. The bag of cement, however, lacked the Hedgehog's mobility.

PWASH!

A cloud of grey powder enveloped Berserker, and for one brief moment only his Red Eyes of Doom© could be seen. Once that moment ended, the mad Servant stormed out from the cement and made another charge at Sonic.

"Terrrrya!" Saber screamed as she leapt into action. The lady knight put herself between Berserker and Sonic and swung her sword as hard as she could. Blades- one invisible to the naked eye and the other carved from stone- met, and the air shook from the impact. Saber knew that if she blocked entirely not only would her sword be destroyed, but she might lose an arm. Instead, she tried to parry the blow, and succeeded…in not losing her blade or arms. She was simply blown away by the sheer force of Berserker's swing, but managed to avoid being knocked off of her feet. Off to the side, Shirou rushed to Tails' aid, helping him back onto his feet.

"Are you all right?" The red-haired Master asked.

"Sh-Shirou?" Tails blinked, "What are you doing here?"

Shirou looked to where the Servants and Sonic were. "Helping, I hope…"

Berserker had taken another swipe with his mighty sword, which Sonic and Saber had to dodge. And dodge. And they kept dodging, because Berserker would not stop swinging. It was difficult business, as Berserker's speed and strength meant that even close calls had enough force to create small gusts. Luckily, the sheer power Berserker put into his attempted blows was also a godsend in disguise. Swinging around Berserker's umpteenth attack, Saber thrust her sword downwards at Berserker's feet. She knew this wouldn't hurt the mad Servant, but with his momentum...

Her plow worked. Berserker tripped over her blade, and though the force of the collision almost knocked it out of her hands, it was worth the sight of watching the Fifth War's Strongest Servant stumble. Not one to let an advantage slip, Saber retracted her sword and prepared to strike. She did not know if her attack would work, but it worth a chance.

Before she could act, Berserker had pushed himself back up, forcing himself into an awkward handstand using the speed of his fall. He was on his feet in a second and bearing down on Saber. It was then that a blue blur zipped by and snatched Saber up, pulling her away. Berserker tried to follow- and fell down. Somehow, his legs become entangled in a chain. The raging Servant fumbled for a minute before snapping the links.

"Jeez, and those were _good _chains!" Sonic groaned as he helped Saber up. He looked up to her. "You got any ideas?"

"Yes," Saber replied, taking a stance. "Run. I will hold Berserker off, while you take Tails and Shirou-"

"Okay, that's not going to happen for two reasons," Sonic interrupted, "One, it's taking two of us just to keep tall, dark and ugly there distracted. No way you can do it on your own. And two, I'm not going to just leave you here all alone."

"This is my battle, Sonic," Saber insisted, "Servants are meant to fight."

"Maybe," Sonic considered, "But unless you've got a plan besides 'hit him real hard', I'm not sure this is a fight you can win. What's to stop him from just mowing you down and chasing after us?"

Saber gritted her teeth. She hated to admit it, but she didn't have much of a plan for fighting Berserker. That Heroic Spirit was not a warrior who could be felled by a single opponent or normal tactics. Her only hope was to keep Berserker occupied while the others made their escape. It was a small hope. A very small hope.

"Hee hee- _HAH _-hee! See now?"

A very small figure staggered into the construction zone. It was a person our heroes had seen before, but there was something different. Her white hair was frazzle and tangled, her cute features dripping with sweat. Her arms hung loose at her sides. Slumped over, Illya dragged herself over to a pile of lumber and sat down on one of the planks.

"My Berserker is…_HUFF_…the strongest Servant there is!" She tried to gloat between gasps of breath, but the pain was too great and she fell on her back. "I'm just…just gonna lie here while he kills you…"

_Did she run all the way here by herself? _Shirou thought as he loaded more cement. Tails had told him his plan for dealing with Berserker, but he wasn't sure how well it would work. It sounded like something out from an _anime_. But nothing else seemed to work on Berserker, so the only other option was…

Illya.

Shirou knew that in order for a Servant to exist in the world, they would need a constant flow of Mana from their Master. Ergo, the easiest way for a Master to defeat a Servant would be to cut off that supply. And that would mean killing that Mage.

Illya was exhausted. Her Servant was preoccupied. Even a half-trained amateur like Shirou could do it.

But _would_ he?

Illya was aware of Shirou's eyes on her, and could accurately guess his thoughts. _Will you take this chance, Big Brother? Are you truly…_ A bitter feeling welled up inside. _Kiritsugi's chosen apprentice?_

…_His favorite son?_

It seemed like an easy solution. It could solve so many problems. Shirou knew it.

"Shirou, quite spacing out and help me!" Tails yelled.

…And he also knew that there was no way he would sink that low. Illya, as he saw, was a child, albeit one with a very disturbing thought pattern. There was no way Shirou could bring himself to harm a child. Also, Mage or not, she was in no condition to fight back. Shirou knew he was being excessively naive, but he couldn't in good conscious attack a little girl while she was in that state.

But as he helped Tails with his own plan, he wondered if there was anything else he could do to help...

* * *

While this most dangerous of dances was going on, another encounter was about to be had on the other side of the city. Team Archer continued their journey back to the Tohsaka Mansion, blissfully unaware of what Team Saber had stepped into, and what was trying to step on Team Sonic. That was not to say that their little walk was anything peaceful. Recent events had turned Rin's nerves to maximum power, and with a lack of enemy to fight she turned her pent-up antagonism on Archer. Archer, for his part, knew that Rin was only ranting to blow off steam and was doing his best to both ignore her and stay aware of their surroundings. The giant robot may have scared off Rider, but that didn't mean the city was safe- if anything, the inclusion of giant robots had given the bowman reason to wonder what else was hiding in the shadows.

"…And why are you dragging all of that junk with you?" Was how Rin ended her tirade, giving the large bag Archer had a scornful look.

"It's salvage," Archer replied. He had a feeling that they would be having this discussion many times. "We'll need it to fix the plane."

The bag in fact contained many parts- gears, circuit boards, and other miscellaneous bits of technology that were once contained within the robot that attacked Homurahara Academy. Archer, with some help from Shirou, graciously helped himself to the remains- it wasn't every day that the chance to loot an alien machine just fell into one's lap. But more importantly, he thought that the salvage could be used to finish the repairs to Tails' plane, _The Tornado. _While countless years as a Counter Guardian had given him the personality of hard deadwood, he still enjoyed the little things in life, like cooking and repair jobs.

But all that didn't distract the Heroic Spirit from one very important fact; _They were being followed._

"Besides, wouldn't you like to be the first Mage to have an alien vehicle in your backyard?" Archer asked, and sent the following telepathic message. _Someone's watching us, but don't react or change the subject._

To her credit, Rin played along. "I don't _want _that loud roaring machine fixed, Archer. It almost destroyed my house, remember?" _What is it, a familiar of some kind?_

"That was an accident, Rin," Archer set the bag down and began to ruffle through it. "Like magecraft, technology is only as good as the person using it. Take this, for example," He held out a piece of bent and jagged metal. "With the right application, this scrap could be a tool for defeating out enemies."

And with that, Archer threw the metal as hard as he could at precisely 7 o'clock. The scrap flew into a dark alley, knocking over several garbage cans. This had the net effect of flushing out their observer, who landed in the center of the street.

Knuckles the Echidna bunched up his fists and glared at the Servant/Master duo before him.

"Another one!" Rin yelled, tensing.

_This guy must be Knuckles. _Archer thought, and relaxed slightly.

This turned out to be a big mistake. Knuckles charged at the two, a punch in motion. Archer grabbed Rin and pulled her out of the way, allowing the spiked fist to hit the pavement harmlessly.

CRUNCH!

…Although, given the size of thecracks forming around where said fist landed, the term "harmless" would be a matter of debate. Knuckles, for his part, seemed to suffer no such injury.

"Hey! What was that for!?" Rin shouted, "What did we do!?"

Knuckles got up and took a boxing stance. "I know what you've got in store for Sonic and Tails. There's no way I'm letting anyone put my friends under their control! I don't know what kind of war you're fighting, but you can count us out!"

Archer quickly realized what Knuckles was getting at. _Oh, God. He thinks we're the bad guys._

Rin also figured that out. "No, no, no, you've got the wrong idea, little red guy," She put on a friendly and inviting expression. "See, we're friends with those guys. Why don't you come with us, and we'll take you to see Sonic."

Knuckles wasn't moved. He recalled what Caster had said earlier…

_"Oh? You're going out?" The cloaked woman asked._

_Knuckles nodded. "That's right. I need to find the Chaos Emeralds if I'm going to get home. My friends are out there, too."_

_"Hmmm…I wish you luck, then," Caster said, "If you find anyone, feel free to bring them here," She smiled in a sinister manner that Knuckles didn't pick up on. "I would be more than happy to offer them asylum."_

_Knuckles blinked, then smiled. "All right, I'll keep that in mind."_

_"Oh…one more thing. There are many dangerous people in the city right now…some who will not hesitate to take advantage of a kind soul like yourself..."_

With that in mind, Knuckles said this in response, "Yeah, right, like I'm gonna fall for that. How dumb do you think I am?"

Rin gritted her teeth. _Figures that the third one would be just as difficult. But I'm prepared this time. _Concentrating, she cast a hypnosis spell and sent it at Knuckles- and found it was rebuffed. _Wha-!? it's not working!? _

Knuckles charged again, and this time Archer jumped into his path. Projecting his swords Kansho and Bakuya, he crossed them to block Knuckle's fist with their blunt side. To his amazement, he found himself being pushed back by the force of the blow.

_Holy crap, he's strong! _The bowman thought.

Rin was concerned for other reasons. _Why didn't the spell work? Does he have a natural immunity to Magecraft, or…_

* * *

At the Ryuudou Temple, the Servant Caster watched Knuckles and Archer face off through her crystal ball.

_Ho ho ho, nice try, Master of Archer, _The witch thought triumphantly, _I've already put Knuckles under my control! But I doubt you would have succeeded, in any case. He has impressive spell resistance, that Knuckles. I wonder if it has anything to do with those Emeralds…or being from another world…_

Caster did not doubt Knuckles' story for a second. While modern-day Mages would have been skeptical of his claims, Caster was not. She had come from the era of the Gods, and knew that such things were possible. And the power she sensed when the outsiders first appeared…there could be no denying it. It was very convenient that Knuckles wandered onto her doorstep. She had been able to bewitch him as soon as he went to sleep. However, her good fortune ended there. Her divinations had shown that the rest of the off-worlders had already been discovered by the other Masters. Saber and her Master in particular had developed a rapport with the one called Sonic. That wasn't good. Sonic was already strong and skilled enough to fight a Servant on even grounds, and with those Power Rings was basically immune to fatal blows. And if he had the same spell resistance Knuckles had, making him her thrall would be next to impossible. She suspected that the only reason she won the Echidna over was due to his own natural gullibility. Sonic seemed a bit more cynical. She would have to be cautious in dealing with him.

But if Knuckles found one of these Chaos Emeralds and brought it back to her…Caster smiled.

* * *

Archer jumped to avoid another of Knuckle's charges, and the Echidna slammed his fist into a nearby lamp post, knocking it over. While in the air, Archer threw _Kansho,_ hoping to knocking Knuckles down with the blunt side of the sword. No such luck. With his other fist Knuckles _punched _the sword away! The magnetic connection between the two swords allowed _Kansho _to return to Archer's grip as he reviewed his options.

_If Rin hasn't already tried putting this guy under her control, then his spell resistance must be higher than what her Magecraft can handle, _The bowman thought, _And since he won't listen to reason, the only thing to do is knock him out. But with what? _Archer had plenty of swords at his beck and call- If one considered the ability to materialize anything he kept in his memory that- but most of the ancient weapons he could Project were of the "Kill the enemy in one blow' variety. And as appealing as OHK-ing Knuckles sounded at the moment, Archer knew that he would get complaints from the moral guardians. _Too bad I didn't find a healing shiv in my life_.

Rin had a similar dilemma. The spells she had stored in her gems were mostly offensive, and ever since the encounter with Berserker she had tried to store spells capable of bringing down elephants. (Given her luck so far, they would probably make the giant ticklish) She didn't have any healing magic capable of undoing the damage those gems could cause. And there was the chance that Knuckles had one of those Power Rings, meaning that any Jewels she shot wouldn't be effective anyway. It would be a waste of a spell either way, and quality jewels for the Tohsaka Magecraft didn't come cheap.

Worse, the brawl would undoubtably attract the attention of other Servants and Masters. If that happened, there were two likely outcomes; 1) They might jump in and make the battle even more confusing, or 2) would use the opportunity to spy and learn more of Archer's abilities. And in the Holy War, information could save or end lives. If they were lucky, Sonic might hear the ruckus and come by to quell Knuckles' antics…but luck was in small quantities lately.

But luck was a quirky thing, especially in this universe. Knuckles smirked, and said, "I could do this all day- but I've got Emeralds to find. Do yourselves a favor and keep clear of Sonic, or any of my other friends!"

And with that, Knuckles ducked down, curling up into a ball. Then, (much to Archer and Rin's shock) he began to spin dash! The Echidna then shot off into the darkness of the night, far out of sight.

"He can do that too!?" Rin cried out in shock.

"Looks like," Archer remarked. He didn't dematerialize his swords, but he no He shot after the Echidna, but found no trace of him. Reinforcing his eyes, he that some distance away there was a fresh hole in the street. "He must have gone down into the sewers. Want me to go looking for him?"

Rin sighed, slumping against a wall. "No, don't bother. We got lucky that he attacked us while we were alone. If we chase after him, we might attract more attention. We're going to need that stupid Hedgehog if we're going to calm him down. Let's get back to the mansion and come up with a plan."

She only hoped that Shirou's walk to his own house was peaceful, at least.

* * *

_This is probably the least peaceful night yet_, Shirou thought as he loaded the last bag of cement into the truck. And what was worse, he had a feeling that nights in the future would be even less peaceful.

"Okay, I think we've got enough," Tails called out, "Now, we just need to start this bad boy up and- Uh, oh."

"What's wrong?" Shirou ran over to the truck's cabin, concerned.

"There's no key! I'm gonna have to hot wire the truck. Hold on."

Shirou didn't know how a fox could hot wire, but as he looked back at where the Servants and Sonic were, he wished it was a skill he had. Watching Sonic and Saber dancing around Berserker put the teenaged Mage's nerves on the edge. He _hated _not being able to help. But he knew that he lacked the speed or skill to keep up with the brutish Servant. Last night's little encounter with the stone ax had been very educational in that regard. Also, Shirou wasn't eager to get torn up all over again. Still, there had to be _something _he could do to help. Being stuck on the sidelines was the worse.

The sound of an engine roaring to life broke into the Mage's thoughts.

"Okay, we're good to go!" Tails called out, "Now, all we gotta do is get Berserker into position," Tails poked his head out the cab window. "See if you can get their attention!"

Shirou nodded, and began to wave his arms at the ones fighting Berserker. Although, "Fighting" would be a very generous term to use. Sonic was doing a serviceable job of staying out of Berserker's reach, but only because didn't stop, whereas Berserker's charges involved crashing into things, and spending crucial seconds getting back up. And Saber, while lacking the speed and brute force of either, had her experience and instincts as a warrior to help predict Berserker's next move…although the fact that the Grecian warrior wasn't even paying attention to her at this point helped to a degree.

The fact was that the battle had devolved into yet another game of of Cat-and-Mouse, Holy War edition©. And more importantly, both of the game's protagonists were too busy trying to avoid crushing death to really notice anything Shirou could do. The Master of Saber realized that this after the third wave.

_I could shout, but I'm sure they wouldn't hear me,_ Shirou thought, _And if they did, Illya might catch on and give Berserker a warning. I need to get their attention without actually giving a clue as to what we're doing…_

_Well, Sonic probably knows what we're working on. I wouldn't be surprised if he came up with this scheme to begin with. And Saber might pick up on it. I wish I had some magic that could be used to send a signal..._

And that's when Shirou's mind went back to what Sonic said last night…

_Sonic brightened. "Now, _that _sounds awesome. You just snap your fingers, and it's there?"_

Projection…was it worth another try? And what would he create? An image of a bow appeared in Shirou's brain. It was rather dark, and ominous-looking, but still a bow nonetheless. Shirou honestly didn't know why such things were occurring to him- and whether or not he would succeed.

Another crash alerted him to the fact that Berserker had another near-miss. And from the looks of things, the missed hits were getting nearer or nearer. The fight was beginning to wear down on both Sonic and Saber, while Berserker's energy was just as relentless as it always had been.

Feeling his muscles tighten, Shirou realized that he couldn't afford to dither on the subject. The time had come for action. Holding out his hand, he began to form Mage Circuits, silently hoping that this time the spell wouldn't go out of control like it did the night before.

"_Trace On._"

That same hot-rod feeling returned, as did the horrible burning sensation in his nerves. But this time it was subdued, more subtle. In the back of his mind, Shirou wondered if this was because his skill was improving…or that his pain receptors were becoming dull. In any case, energy began to swirl around his hand, condensing, taking form. Shirou tried to force out all distractions, putting every ounce of his brain on the image of the bow.

"Shirou, what're you- _Whoa._" Tails stopped talking when he saw what was taking place.

The thing in Shirou's hand was a bow, sort of. It was definitely bow-shaped. But it wasn't the bow that he had intended. The weapon he held had too many jagged edges, too many superfluous points. It looked like something a child would draw up.

_Of course an amateur like me would get it wrong, _Shirou thought, _I just hope it works…!_

Picking up a stray pipe that had been lying on the ground, Shirou loaded his 'bow' and took aim. It was hard to hold, and he had to spend a few seconds adjusting his grip, but in short time he was 'in the zone', his mind excluding everything but his target. Even the slight buzz in his nerves and hot-rod feeling in his back couldn't distract him.

Shirou released the bow, and the pipe flew at Berserker. It could not have hurt Berserker. It would not hurt Berserker. The Heroic Spirit of Herakles had been blessed with unbreakable skin by the Gods themselves. By his divine relation to Zeus, nothing less than an attack that had the rank of A could break that defense. A measly pipe, fired from a poorly-Projected might as well have been a fly ramming itself against a brick wall.

But even a fly might be noticed if it flew into someone's eye, just as the pipe went at Berserker. It had done no damage- A fly against a wall, remember- but just like any other person, Berserker did not like having his eye poked. Grabbing the pipe before it could even fall to the ground, Berserker promptly bent the metal into a series of knots, grumbling with fury. In the scant seconds as he did, Sonic and Saber looked over to the pipe's origin, and saw Shirou gesturing wildly towards the cement truck. Meanwhile, Berserker finished his work with the pipe by crushing the mutilated thing into a ball and chucking it into the distance. There was a soft sound like glass breaking, but no one paid attention to that. More engrossing was that Berserker now _had Shirou in his sights! _And from the increased intensity in his eyes, the monstrous Servant had figured out just who sent that pipe into his left eyeball.

Saber was the first to act. Knowing that trying to block the giant was a futile and more-than-likely painful endeavour, she slammed the hilt of her sword into the joint of Berserker's right leg. No matter how big or divinely enhanced he was, Berserker still had the normal (Relatively speaking) build of a human being, so this act caused his leg to ache and trip him up. And because Berserker began to put himself into motion when this happened, the massive Heroic Spirit's tumble sent him rolling _far _across the lot, stopping just a few feet away from the cement truck's back. Before he could get up, Sonic slammed down on his head from above. It didn't hurt, but it did force Berserker to kiss the dirt for a few seconds more.

"Let 'er rip, Tails!" Sonic yelled, and zipped off of Berserker's noggin.

Just as Berserker pushed himself up, there came a beeping noise. Looking up, the Heroic Spirit saw that the cement truck's mixer was rising, and out from the opening a great deal of wet concrete poured out- onto him!

As Berserker writhed, trying to shake the wet cement off of him, Sonic began to zip around him. By doing so, he created a small tornado, a tactic he used to send robots flying. The cyclone his speed create wasn't strong enough to lift Berserker, but it WAS enough to lift and cover the cement. Combined with wind created by the hedgehog-created tornado, it didn't take long for the immense Servant to be completely cloaked in concrete. Once he was done, Sonic stopped and took a few steps back to observe his work. A tense hush fell over the scene as the gang watched to see what would happen next. Saber gripped her sword, ready to attack.

They did not have long to wait. The cement mound shook, before exploding as Berserker burst free of his makeshift prison.

"Awww, man!" Sonic groaned, shielding his to avoid being hit by the shards. "I was kinda hoping that would work!"

Illya laughed. "Hahaha! Nice try, blue boy! But my Berserker can't be beaten by such simple tricks like that! But don't give up yet, I want to you and _Onii-chan_ to struggle a bit more-"

A piece of rubble, thrown into the air by Berserker's violent escape from the concrete, hit Illya in the head, cutting her off. A lump growing and her eyes spinning, the Einzbern Master fell down onto the ground. As the dust settled, Berserker rose to full height, looming over all that were present. Then, he glanced over at Illya. The angry scowl on the servant's face grew even darker as he shot Sonic a glare.

"Hey, for the record, YOU did that." Sonic defended.

Still glaring, Berserker stomped over to where Illya lay. Then, with a tenderness that was uncharacteristic for his class, he gently picked Illya up, cradled her in his arms, and stalked off. The ground shook with each step, but Berserker made no motion against the heroes. He stopped once at the edge of the compound, but all the Servant did was look over and deliver a very powerful glare at the four, before resuming his trek. Once Berserker was out of sight, they all stopped holding their breath. Little did any of them realize, that Berserker's surprisingly lucid decision to take Illya home would become the source of a new legend in Fuyuki; _The Legend of the Child-bearing Neanderthal._

"Whoa…who woulda guessed that tall, dark and gruesome had a soft side underneath those unbreakable muscles?" Sonic asked, letting out a somewhat nervous laugh.

Saber sighed. "This isn't funny, Sonic. We came very close to dying." Still, she inwardly reflected on the shocking action of Berserker. Berserkers were supposed to be nigh-impossible to control, and, from what she knew, would not stop until their opponent was dead. Did Illya, with her remarkable power, instill a command to focus on her safety into Berserker's mind?

"I just hope he doesn't hurt anyone," Tails said, hopping out of the truck's cab. "Is everyone all right?"

"We are not seriously injured," Saber replied.

"That's good," Tails looked around at what used to be a construction lot. "Man, this place is a mess."

"Tell me about it," Sonic chuckled, "I Think someone should tell Berserker to ease up on the collateral damage."

Shirou took in the wreckage. Berserker's near-misses had indeed caused a lot of collateral damage. Orderly stacks of materials had been strewn about. There were large fissures in the ground where Berserker's sword had landed. The only piece of equipment that hadn't been broken was the cement truck. It looked more like an army had taken a bat to the place.

"We need to get out of here," The young Mage said, "I couldn't put up a Boundary Field, so someone must have heard the fight and will come to investigate."

"Well, the night's still young, so I think I'm gonna take one last look around the city before calling it quits," Sonic decided, "Tails?"

"Yeah, another hour wouldn't hurt," Tails agreed, and looked towards Team Saber. "Are you two going to be all right on your own?"

"We will be fine," Saber replied, "We are going to go straight home."

"Y-yeah." Shirou hoped Taiga and Sakura wouldn't be too upset with him being out this late…

"You do that," Sonic nodded, "Be careful. Let's go, bro!"

Sonic ran off, with Tails flying after. Once they were gone, Saber felt her legs give out. As she fell, her armor faded away to show the casual clothes Rin lent her. Shirou just barely caught her in time.

"Saber-!" He gasped.

"It's nothing," She gasped unconvincingly, "Just a little…tired."

Shirou realized that with the scant Mana he provided, Saber was forced to use up her own energy. Fighting all these battles…first against Rider, then the robot, and finally Berserker…it was too much. _And she wasn't fully recovered from fighting Lancer!_

Rather than saying that aloud, Shirou began to help Saber walk. As they marched, he felt a small bit of unhappiness and resentment for himself. He just wished he was a little bit stronger…!

Far in the distance, Sonic and Tails were also a bit perturbed over what had happened.

"We got out okay because Shirou and Saber helped us," Tails remarked, "But what about Knuckles? As far as we know, they're completely clueless about this 'Holy War', thing."

"No kidding," Sonic agreed, "It would suck if one of these evil Masters got a hold of them."

* * *

Amy took a sip of her tea. "So, let me get this straight. In this world, you've got wizards and witches who are supposed to stay hidden."

"The term is Mage," Bazett corrected, "And yes. Magecraft is supposed to remain secret. Ordinary people are not allowed to know about it."

Amy and Bazett were no longer in the Fuyuki Hospital. Although Bazett still hadn't fully recovered, she felt that staying there with her new friend was too much of a risk. While the Irish Mage seemed to have successfully hypnotized the entire hospital staff into forgetting Amy existed, there was always a chance that someone would notice and cause a disturbance. Furthermore, she wanted to discuss the situation with the pink hedgehog in private. To that end they retreated, in the dead of night, to the hotel Bazett had checked into at the beginning of her stay in Fuyuki. She knew that she would have to relocate- She didn't know how long she would have until Kotomine learned she was alive, and wanted to avoid a fight with him until she was fully recovered- but she hoped that the two of them had at least one night to rest.

"Right, right…" Amy muttered, "And…there's this contest between 'Mages' that involve summoning magic ghosts…?"

"Close enough."

Against all of the training she received at the Mage's Association, Bazett filled Amy in on the Holy Grail War, if only to answer her questions about Bazett's injuries. While she knew it was a risky measure, she felt she owed the pink hedgehog something for saving her life. What's more, Amy would better appreciate the need to remain hidden if she knew what lurked in the shadows. It would be easier to hide Amy if the red-skirted hedgehog girl was willing to play along. In return, Amy had regaled Bazett with the tale of how she appeared in this world. A week ago, the enforcer would have found the story hard to swallow. Regrowing an arm while inches away from death's icy grip had done wonders for her suspension of disbelief.

Amy put down her cup. "Okay. So, where do we go to find that Kotomine guy?"

Bazett blinked. "What?"

"You're friend was taken away by this guy, wasn't he?" Amy asked, "So, if you want him back, we just gotta…" She lifted a large mallet up and slug over her shoulder. "…Give him what-for!"

_Where did she get that hammer!? _Bazett tried to get a hold of her thoughts and the direction of the conversation. "That…that's very nice of you to offer, but Kotomine is a dangerous man. He used to be an executor for the Church's Burial Agency," That got a blank look from Amy. "That's the branch that specializes in killing vampires."

"Oh, cool."

Bazett felt a headache. "The _point_ is, he's not someone you can just swing a large hammer at. He's a skilled combatant."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Amy twirled her hammer. "I've got a few adventures under my belt. This gal's taken down more than her fair share of killer robots. How hard could one kung-fu priest be?"

_You'd be surprised. _Bazett thought, and said, "Look, I can handle Kotomine on my own. You don't need-"

"Sure I do!" Amy cut off, "We're friends, aren't we?"

Bazett was stunned. _How…how can she say that so easily? We've known each other for less than a day!_ Trying to suppress a headache, she said, "But what about those other friends you told me about? Don't you want to find them first?"

"I do, but they can take care of themselves! Those guys eat robot armies for breakfast!" Amy boasted, and gave Bazett a concerned look. "But, this Kotomine guy almost killed you, right? Sounds like you could use some help!"

"He caught me off-guard." Bazett muttered.

"And just think how much harder that'll be if you had someone to watch your back!" Amy added without missing a beat.

As she looked in Amy Rose's eyes, Bazett realized that nothing short of hypnosis would convince her new companion to stay in the room and out of trouble. And Bazett had already tried hypnosis earlier; Amy's natural spell-resistance was higher than what Bazett could cast, due to either the latter's recent brush with death, and the former being from another dimension. Had she been a researcher, Bazett would have been intrigued, and determined to dissect Amy and discover her secrets. But there was no time for that.

Sighing, Bazett said, "Fine…you can come help. But you need to follow my instructions." _At least this way I can keep an eye on her. I just hope this doesn't_ _implode on me…_

Amy nodded. "You won't regret this, Bazett. We'll beat this evil priest, get your friend back, and then find my man Sonic!"

"Just like that?" Bazett asked wryly.

"You know it! In fact…" Amy began to look thoughtful, "I wouldn't be surprised if Sonic's already taken Kotomine down."

* * *

"He's been taken down?" Dr. Eggman asked.

Things had been going very smoothly aboard the _Egg Saucer_. Under Eggman's supervision (Which mostly consisted of him yelling at robots), all of the essential repairs had been completed. While the mobile base was unlikely to take the skies yet, it was also unlikely to sink under the water. And now that the crucial components had been fixed, Eggman could send his remaining Badniks out to collect more animals to turn into robots.

Then he learn that Arms wasn't coming back.

"Yes, sir," Orbot replied, staring at his computer terminal. "According to this readout, Arms is no longer functioning."

"Hmm," Eggman rubbed his chin in thought. "That's odd. None of the news reports mentioned that. You'd think someone would notice a giant robot being destroyed."

"Maybe they're saving that for sweeps?" Cubot suggested.

"News networks don't have sweeps!" Eggman snarled, and pointed dramatically at Orbot. "Where did Arms crash, Orbot?"

Orbot typed. "This is where Arms' signal ceased, sir."

On the larger screen, a map of Fuyuki City appeared. In one section, a glowing dot appeared. The computer zoomed in on the section, showing a detailed layout of Homurahara Academy. Before the main building was a flashing icon that resembled Eggman's head. Unlike the other emblems that were printed on the doctor's machines, this one was crying.

Eggman clasped his fingers evilly. "So…the Chaos Emerald is _there_, eh?"

"Well, actually, we don't know if there's an Emerald…" Orbot began, but was cut off by Eggman leaping to his feet.

"With the vital repairs to the _Egg Saucer _complete, there is nothing to keep me here!" Eggman declared, gesturing erratically. "I will go forth and bring home the prize! We leave at once!"

"Weren't we gonna watch monster movies tonight?" Cubot asked, "I already made the popcorn like you ordered me to."

Eggman looked down and saw a large bowl of popcorn had been placed next to his command chair. The smell of melted butter reached his nostrils, unhampered by the mustache. After a moment's thought, Eggman sat back down and picked up the bowl.

"Okay, we leave _tomorrow_." The mad doctor decided between mouthfuls of popcorn.

As the house lights dimmed, the largest screen lit up. A woman's voice was then heard speaking.

"Coming up on the obscure movie channel, _Attack of the Evil Robots From Another Dimension_!"

"How prophetic!" Eggman chortled, spitting out a few half-chewed kernels.

Orbot sighed and picked up a brush and dustpan. "I hate it when he talks with his mouth full."

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

_Tiger Dojo:_

**Taiga: **Rising from the sea! Descending from the skies! It's the Tiger Dojo! Welcome back, children! Fujimura Taiga-_sensei_, presiding!

**Illya: **_(Wearing a bandage) _And the Number One Student, Illya! Ugh…my head hurts…

**Taiga: **Are you all right, Illya-_chan_? That was a nasty bump you got in the main story, after all.

**Illya: **No, I'm fine! A little thing like this won't keep me from saving the people from your half-assed education!

**Taiga: **Very good, Number One Student, very- Wait, that was an insult! _(Hits Illya)_

**Illya: **Awk! You monster, striking an injured woman…!

**Taiga: **Our first question comes from Vladimir-Spider. "Question about Shirou's tracing, will he be able to trace the rings? Even if they aren't swords, he is still able to trace pretty much everything, though swords are easier for him. Same comes to Chaos Emeralds. I mean, if Shirou is able to trace Caliburn, which supposedly holds the amount of power far exceeding his own, then I think tracing any object is not a problem for him."

**Illya: **I doubt _Onii-chan _could do anything like that. We have no idea what Chaos Emeralds or Power Rings really are, after all

**Taiga: **As for Projecting Caliburn, it was a bit easier for Shirou because his origin is Sword, having contained Avalon for ten years. Our next question is from Element-Overlord. Huh? Didn't this guy write to us before?

**Illya: **"Would it be possible for Shirou to get a form like Super Sonic?" Boy, a lot of people are sure interested in _Onii-chan _all of a sudden. Doesn't anyone care about this adorable heroine?

**Taiga: **Huh! A Super Shirou, hmm? Such a thing could be possible, if all seven Emeralds were found. However! While we cannot confirm nor deny the possibility of a Super Shirou appearing, I do have a picture of a Super lllya right here!

**Illya: **Really? Let me- Hey, what is this!? This is just Prisma Illya, and someone drew a yellow fireball around her!

**Taiga: **That's all of the time we have left for now. Please give us your support as we await the next chapter! Good bye!


	4. To The Beginning

Chapter 4: _To The Beginning_

Shirou woke up, feeling surprisingly energetic. He wasn't sure why. After the roller coaster of madness and excitement that was the entirety of last night, he figured he'd be too exhausted to get up, much less make breakfast.

_If only Saber could bounce back as quickly,_ He thought, _Then again, she did more legwork than me. It's unreasonable of me to assume she could recover like I can._

As he entered the kitchen, he found himself wondering just why he was recovering so quickly. The night before he had narrowly survived being cleaved in two and, a little later, almost being disemboweled. Both times he managed to regenerate his flesh, without even a scar to show for it. Being impaled by Lancer at the school was different; The pendent he found at the scene indicated that some Magecraft-using samaritan had healed him.

Did whoever cast the spell give him a new power? Or did being in so many life and death situations cause latent abilities to awaken? Both possibilities were unlikely, given what Shirou knew about magic; although his knowledge on that subject was less than basic, at best.

"Need help, master chef?" A voice from below his side asked.

_Oh, it's Sonic,_ Shirou thought automatically. Aloud, he said, "I'm fine, I can do this by myself."

Then, Shirou's head caught up with the rest of him. He whirled about and looked down at Sonic. The hedgehog was now seated at the table, which Shirou was sure hadn't been set the last time he looked. Sonic gave Shirou a cheeky wave, grinning just as cheekily.

"_Ohayo gozaimasu,_" Sonic greeted.

"Why- why are out in the open? When did you get back!?" Shirou stammered, his mind reeling with every possibly bad end Sonic's appearance would result in.

"Just after you guys went to bed. Speaking of which-" Sonic jerked a thumb towards the halls. "-How come Saber's having a slumber party? I thought she had to stay hidden, too."

Oh, that. Unlike Sonic, Shirou and Saber weren't lucky enough to sneak in unnoticed. Taiga had caught them the minute they appeared in the neighborhood, upset that Shirou had been out so long- because that meant dinner was late. At first, it seemed as if Shirou could abate his big sis figure's anger by cooking, but his hopes for an easy reconciliation were dashed when 'the Tiger' noticed Saber. Over Taiga's furious accusations that Shirou had been "Fooling around", the Emiya Mage had been forced to claim that Saber was a former friend of Kiritsugi's from abroad, and that she had come to town to offer Shirou aid. It wasn't a bad lie, given his long-dead step-father's habit of leaving Japan for weeks at a time, and Saber adjusted to the falsehood quite well.

That said, Taiga wasn't going to let Saber into the household that easily, and challenged the Servant to a duel. The idea was to test the foreigner's ability to protect Shirou from danger, but the Mage felt that his teacher just wanted to intimidate Saber into leaving- a ploy that was doomed to fail. Even winded, Saber was a Heroic Spirit with abilities beyond normal humans, and had lived and died by the sword. The match was over in seconds, which was when Sakura insisted on 'testing' this new girl. Luckily, Shirou managed to defuse the situation somewhat before Saber could cut his underclassman's bow in half. After dinner, Taiga refused to go home, asserting that it was wrong to leave an unmarried couple alone in a big house, and also refused to let Sakura leave as well, given the attacks. The result was all three girls sharing a bedroom, as Taiga didn't want to take the chance of one of them sneaking into Shirou's.

Once Shirou finished the story, Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean I can come out of hiding?"

"No!" Shirou turned back to his cooking, "Saber can pass for a normal human. You can't."

"What if I wear a disguise?"

"A disguise?" Shirou repeated. His mind was suddenly besieged by an image. it consisted of a tiny person, his entire body wrapped in an oversized trench coat, with a comically large fedora on top. A pair of red sneakers sticking out from the bottom completely the look. It was also completely ridiculous.

"Sure," Sonic said, and Shirou could practically hear the grin. "A cowboy hat, a fake mustache, and even my mom wouldn't recognize me!"

"No, no, and no," Shirou responded, "I know you're not being serious. I'm sorry, but-" Shirou then heard footsteps. "Someone's coming! Hide!"

The words were barely out of Shirou's mouth when he heard the tale-tell whoosh, a sign that Sonic was in motion&amp; and hopefully out of sight.

* * *

Last night had been terrible for Sakura. Not just because Taiga caught Shirou with Saber- Saber, her senpai, the city's worst Mage, had summoned the best Servant- but also because of the sleep. It wasn't that she had slept in Shirou's house. If anything, being in his house for so long was a dream. Having to share a room with two others- Taiga's loud snoring in particularly- was only mild annoyance compared to the true terror now living in her shadow.

Avenger.

Unlike other Servants, Avenger did not seek battles, or even victims to feed off of. It was unlikely that Avenger needed to feed at all, given its connection to her. What Avenger did do was talk. A lot. Incessantly. Of death, and destruction. It spoke of the tortures it received in life, and what kind Sakura should inflict on the world. It was easier to ignore in the day, when the sounds of the outside world gave Sakura something else to focus on. But at night-

_Hey, do you hear something? _Avenger broke into her thoughts.

As Sakura entered the kitchen, she could have sworn that she heard a rush of movement. Looking around, she saw Shirou standing at the stove. He seemed tense. She noticed that one of the pillows around the table had an impression in them, indicating that someone was sitting there.

_Crud, looks like we missed seeing his pet familiar. _Avenger sighed mentally.

"Good morning, senpai." Sakura greeted softly, doing her best to ignore Avenger.

"Good morning, Sakura," Shirou returned, and his face showed concern. "Did you get enough sleep last night? You look, um..."

Sakura realized that she must have had bags under her eyes. Of course, she had spent the night more awake in order to better ignore Avenger. "I- I'm fine. Sensei snores, that's all."

Shirou chuckled, and Sakura felt her heart lighten. Moments like this, she would not give up for the world. It almost made her forget how horrible her life was.

_I wonder how long he's going to pretend everything's all right, _Avenger thought, _I mean, it's kinda sad how hard he's trying to delude himself. Not like he's fooling anyone. How long do you think it'll be before he dies?_

'Almost', being personified by Avenger. Sakura went to help Shirou with the cooking, and it wasn't long before Taiga and Saber joined them for breakfast. As they ate, Avenger continued to do a running commentary. Sakura tried to keep the weird Servant's thoughts out of her head, and found herself recalling what Avenger had said about Saber last night...

Well, well, well… _Avenger had thought, _Look who's back a for a second try… So that's two from the Fourth...

Did that mean that someone in the last Grail War had summoned this specific Saber? And who was the other one of the two? Was it another Servant? Or had a Master who survived the Fourth Heaven's Feel returned? No matter how many times she tried t glean more information, Avenger just remained vague.

"_Oraa!_" Taiga yelled suddenly, and threw her chopsticks at the window. Everyone jumped as wood broke glass.

_Whoa, Zecchan's leveled up._ Avenger remarked.

"What is it, Funji-nee?" Shirou asked worriedly.

"There was a weird face peeking in!" Taiga yelled, getting up.

As the Tiger of Fuyuki raced outside, the Tora Shina inexplicably in hand, both Shirou and Saber winced. It looked like Sonic couldn't keep himself hidden after all. They, along with Sakura, went outside and joined Taiga. Their excitable teacher was looking about anxiously, her trademark weapon ready to be unleashed.

"I'm telling you, there was someone here!" She yelled, "Some peeping tom spying on us!"

"Maybe… maybe it was an animal of some kind…" Shirou suggested weakly.

"No! This pervert had a human face!" Taiga insisted, "I know it!"

Saber glanced up and saw Sonic peeking down from the roof. She sent him a glare that, enhanced by his Rank B charisma, actually made the normally easy-going and very cocky Hedgehog cringe. She also noticed a pair of chopsticks sticking out of his mouth, and shook her head.

* * *

At the Tohsaka Mansion, Tails sat on the couch as he fiddled with the Miles Electric. He paused, yawned, and got back to work. He was so fixated on his computer that he didn't notice Archer materializing right next to him.

"Good morning." The Servant greeted.

Tails jumped slightly. "Whoa! Hey, Archer. Didn't hear you come in. But I guess that's to be expected from a magic ghost."

"Yeah, I'll try to be louder when I enter a room," Archer replied, "I see Sonic decided not to stay." He had been on watch when Tails and Sonic returned to the mansion. Before he could wake Rin up, he rushed off, disappearing into the night.

"Yeah, big mansions aren't really his thing," Tails said, "Plus, he said he wanted 'protect his new Genesis' whatever that means. He went back to Shirou's."

And avoiding getting put under hypnosis, too, Archer thought, Rin's not going to take that well. "You're not planning on going anywhere, are you?"

Tails shook his head. "Not unless I have to. I'm super-bushed. You're not going to believe what happened last night."

Before Archer could ask, the two of them were interrupted by an ominous sound. It was the sound of feet being dragged across the floor, and carried with it a dark aura. Tohsaka Rin, the Mage Association's representative in Fuyuki, descendent of Tohsaka Nagato, lurched into the room. Her face bore an expression of death. There was utterly no life in her arms, the useless limbs just swung in the air as she stepped. Tails and Archer watched as Rin forced herself towards the kitchen. Once she was out of sight, they heard refrigerator door being opened, followed by the sound of something going 'glug-glug-glug'.

"Is- is that normal?" Tails asked, watching. "Did something happen to you guys too?"

"Yes, and yes," Archer answered, "Looks like it's been a busy night for both of us."

The two of them swapped stories of what happened when they separated. Archer was stunned, and not about Illya. On the contrary, he had a feeling that the robot attack would draw out a Servant or two. No, what bothered him was what Tails claimed Shirou had done during their encounter with Berserker.

_If what he's saying is true, then it sounds like Shirou's starting to get into Projection,_ the Bowman thought, _Dammit... so much is happening so quickly I can barely keep up._

And to Archer's annoyance, Tails didn't seem very perturbed about Knuckles. In fact, the two-tailed fox was actually laughing!

"Yeah, sorry about Knuckles," Tails chuckled, "It's weird- the same happened when Sonic and I first met him, too."

"What do you mean?" Archer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, Eggman met Knuckles first and told him that we were jewel thieves, or something," Tails explained, rubbing the back of his head. "He spent most of the time trying to trip us up as we explored his island."

"But you and he are friends now, aren't you?" Archer asked, "How'd you get him to calm down?"

"Well, he switched gears when he caught Eggman stealing the Master Emerald, the giant jewel that keeps Angel Island floating." Tails replied.

_The more I learn, the more questions I have._ Instead of asking the obvious, Archer pressed on. "I don't think we want to wait that long to prove our innocence. We need to get him on our side now."

"Well, me and Sonic will tell him you're okay if we see him," Tails said, "But if you guys run into him again... Hold that thought."

Tails got up and left the house. After watching him go, Archer decided that he had put off making breakfast long enough. After everything that had happened, he needed to do something relaxing. Archer had always enjoyed housework, even back when he was alive. As he cooked at the stove, the bowman glanced at Rin out of the corner of his eye. The young Mage was lying face down on her table, doing a very good impression of a freshly-murdered corpse.

"Are you okay?" Archer asked, partially concerned, but mostly out of obligation. He knew that Rin was just overreacting.

"I couldn't sleep last night," Rin said, looking up. "I kept having robot nightmares."

"Oh?"

"You know that American movie about the killer robot from the future? The one starring the German guy?" Rin asked, "It was like that. People's skins kept melting off, becoming robots."

"I'm pretty sure the robots we'll have to deal with are too big to be mistaken for people, Rin." Archer noted.

"Just make breakfast." Rin grunted, looking annoyed.

Archer went back to cooking, a faint smile on his face. It seemed like Rin was regaining some of her spark. That was good. So many abnormalities(And yes, Mages had to use the term themselves) had happened, and Archer was worried that his Master would just give up.

Just as Archer was finishing up, Tails came into the kitchen. He had something in his hand, but Archer couldn't tell what it was. The little outsider took his seat at the table, his cheerful demeanor presenting a contrast to the gloomy but burning Mage sitting across from him.

"Good morning, Rin," Tails greeted, a bit hesitantly.

Rin sighed and straightened up. "Good morning, Tails."

Tails smiled, glad to see Rin was in a better mood. "Archer told me that you two ran into Knuckles last night?"

Rin nodded. "Yes. That jerk tried to kill us!"

Tails grimaced. "Yeah, sorry about that. But I've got something that can help," He held out his hand. Resting in the palm was another wrist-communicator. "Here, put this on."

Confused, Rin picked up the communicator and held it up to her face for further scrutinization. She looked back to Tails for explanation.

"Me and Sonic are wearing the same type of communicator," Tails explained, "If you see Knuckles, you can just call us and we'll explain everything to him. Here, let me show you how it works... "

As Tails ran Rin through the tutorial, Archer felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. He knew his Master was terrible with electronics. She couldn't handle anything more complicated than a basic calculator. She had been born of a clan of 'old school' Mages, and raised to embody their ideals; and one of those ideals was 'Mages didn't need technology.' After all, if you could cast illusions or throw fireballs, why in the world would you need something like a personal computer? It was stubbornness, plain and simple. The most powerful magics were the oldest and most mysterious. Ergo, some bright (For a very loose and generous meaning of the term) spark came to the conclusion that the more a Mage ignored the advancements of modern civilization, the more powerful a Mage they were. The end result was a Clock Tower full of people who not only underestimated the uses modern machines had, but some who had no idea what they were. He recalled hearing stories of how his father spent a successful career as a 'Mage Killer' using modern weaponry to take 'Proper' Mages by surprise.

"...Okay, let's test you out," Tails walked out of the room. "In five seconds, try to call me on line 2."

"All right&amp; " Rin muttered, staring at the not-a-watch on her wrist in apprehension. After a few moments, she pushed a button. "Hello? Tails?"

"Haha, you got it!" Tails' voice came from the watch's speaker. "Good! So, whenever you need me or Sonic, just give us a call."

"Let's hope it never comes to that." Rin muttered.

"Hey, the way you talk, it seems like you don't like us!" Sonic's voice chirped up.

Rin's eyebrows shot up. So did Archer's, but only for his right eye.

"Rin, you must have hit the party line!" Tails cried, "Quick, hit the options switch to push Sonic out!"

"You mean I wasn't invited?" Sonic asked teasingly, "That's mean... "

As Rin fumbled with the communicator, Archer sighed. Hopeless. Nothing short of hopeless.

* * *

The walk to school was nothing short of awkward. Most guys would have jumped to take Shirou's place. The very stupid kind. Other, smarter men would have realized just what a tense situation the teenaged Mage had been placed in, and swore to avoid it at all costs.

At Shirou's left, his underclassman Sakura. She had her head down, which didn't hide the bleak expression on her face, or the bags under her eyes. Shirou had suggested that she call in sick, given how tired she seemed, but the girl had refused. He would have called Taiga's attention to Sakura's condition, but his excitable teacher had run off the minute breakfast had ended. As they strolled, Shirou couldn't help but feel a faint pit form somewhere in his soul. It was...familiar. Like something he had felt before, but could not consciously remember.

Of course, this did not distract him from the pretty girl walking alongside his right. Saber was as stone-faced as she had ever been as she walked. She had the gait that was somewhere between relaxed and serious, no doubt on guard for any potential attacks that might occur. Shirou had wanted her to stay back and keep Sonic out of trouble (His fooling around with his wrist-communicator had almost exposed himself), but Saber insisted on coming. The robot attack and the encounters with Rider and Berserker the previous night had convinced his Servant that letting Shirou out of her sight was a Very Stupid Thing To Do. And now that her existence had been revealed to Taiga and Sakura, Saber decided that hiding was now pointless as well. It was more than likely that Taiga had told the entire school about the 'strange girl Shirou brought him'. The man in question could only hope most would dismiss it as more of the Tiger's meaningless babble.

But as they approached Homurahara Academy, it became apparent that 'meaningless babble', would be the least on anyone's minds. Police cars, construction vehicles and even news vans filled the front courtyard. Investigators, workers, and reporters were everywhere. Onlookers, consisting of mostly of students, crowded around to see what the big deal was.

"What's going on...?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Emiya! Hey, Shirou!" a voice called out.

Both Shirou and Sakura froze, for one very good reason.

It was Shinji.

With his usual cocky smile on, Sakura's older brother strode up to the three of them. That smile twitched when he saw how close together his little sister and Shirou were standing. It was no secret between the three of them that Shinji's estrangement from Shirou began when the red-head started to have suspicions of just what happened at the Matou Manor, combined with Shinji's distaste for Sakura spending so much time at the Emiya estate. But when he got a look at Saber, Shinji's eyes brightened.

"Well, well? Who is this? A friend of yours, Shirou?" Shinji asked, looking Saber over. "I didn't know you liked blonds."

"It's not like that," Shirou said, "She's just a friend of my step-father who's visiting. Her name is Saber."

Shinji hummed thoughtfully. Before he could ask another (Undoubtably embarrassing) question, a loud metallic screech followed by a crash caught their attention. Shinji glanced at it, then turned his attention back to Saber. But within those scant seconds she, along with Shirou and Sakura, had stepped around him to get a better look at the ruckus. Shinji gritted his teeth and followed after.

As it turned out, the center of all the action was none other than Arms. Men and women in uniform were crawling all around it, either examining the robot's scrap, or taking pieces away. The noise had been caused by a large metal plate falling off. Police that weren't taking (Or answering) questions were busy trying to keep onlookers from getting too close. One very important-looking officer was talking to a reporter, declining to voice any theories until the investigation was complete, and yes, they will issue an official statement as soon as possible.

In hindsight, Shirou should not have been surprised that something like this was happening. After all, it was completely foolish to assume that the remains of a giant robot would be swept under the rug. No doubt some teacher, student, or even a passerby noticed the wreckage and called the authorities. He was just used to the after-effects of a battle being immediately covered up. Luckily, there was no way a giant robot could break the secrecy of Magecraft. It was unusual, but not beyond mundane explanation.

"Where- where did this come from...?" Sakura asked, staring at the machine.

Shinji chose that moment to step up, his arms crossed. "I know, it's crazy, right? On top of Ayako almost being raped-"

"What was that?" Shirou whirled at Shinji in shock. Besides him he could hear Sakura and Saber also turning.

Shinji scratched the back of his head. "Apparently, some lowlife snuck into the school after classes and assaulted a few girls," He explained, "From what I hear, Mitsuzuri's the only one to get away unharmed."

Shirou instantly realized that Shinji was referring to the victims of Rider's feeding. In all of the excitement surrounding Eggman's robots, as well as Berserker's assault last night, he had completely forgotten that there were other threats in the city. He risked a glance at Saber, and saw from her stone faced expression that she didn't forget.

"Umm, _Nii-san_, do you know who the culprit is?" Sakura asked timidly.

Shinji gave his sister a glance before turning back to Shirou. "Not a clue. I think Ayako's under some non-disclosure thing from the police," He snickered. "I hear it's because she claims a tanuki saved her, or whatever."

Sonic!

Shirou resisted the urge to groan openly. Of course Ayako would have seen Sonic- the Hedgehog admitted to saving someone from Rider, didn't he? And naturally, Ayako would have to tell someone about her miraculous encounter. On one hand, he was happy that Sonic had managed to save another life. On the other, his actions were yet another tear in the veil of secrecy that Mages everywhere hid behind. At this rate, the existence of Magecraft would be common knowledge by the end of the school year.

_I wonder if Tohsaka's heard of this, _Shirou thought as Shinji blathered on,_ No, she probably hasn't yet. She'd be going after Sonic with murderous intent if she had._

* * *

_I'm going to kill him,_ Rin thought as she listened to Ayako recounted her chance encounter with near-death for the umpteenth time, _I swear, the next time I see that Hedgehog, I won't even bother with hypnosis. I'll just shoot a Gandr into that big mouth._

While Rin should have been happy that a classmate had been saved, part of her really wished that Sonic had done it in a way that kept Ayako from, oh, I don't know, seeing him.

"…He didn't really look like a tanuki, honestly," Ayako told another girl, one from the Archery club. "He was blue- and had big spikes sticking out of the back of his head... "

_Faster than the speed of sound, yet slow enough to be seen. _Rin thought bitterly. She would have altered Ayako's memories right then and there, but didn't see the point. Even if she had hypnotized the archery club president into recanting her claims, the story of the 'Blue Tanuki' were already circulating the city, thanks to the news report about Lancer.

"But, still, I wonder who that woman was," Saegusa Yukika commented, "Do you really think she's the one who attacked the other girls?"

"That's what the police think." Ayako replied.

"Shouldn't be too hard to find," Makidera Kaede decided, "I mean, someone with long, purple hair should stand out, right?"

"Unless it's a wig..." Ayako said thoughtfully.

As the girls chattered, Rin rested her head on her desk, and tried to stave off the headaches with happy visions of a certain blue hero's head exploding. They were hauntingly therapeutic. She tried to console herself with the knowledge that at the very least Sonic was confined to the Emiya property, with Saber to watch him.

Just as the pleasing image of Sonic chained to a wall, with Saber on guard appeared in her mind, another classmate rushed into the room with the newest piece of gossip.

"Hey! Emiya just brought a blonde, foreign girl to school!"

Tohsaka Rin, Master of Archer, shook as she resisted the urge to scream.

* * *

Shirou sneezed.

"Bless you, _senpai._"

Shirou rubbed his nose. He hoped he wasn't coming down with something. After surviving certain death so many times, it would have been really awkward if a common cold did him in. Unless it was those brushes with death that were weakening his immune system.

Saber must have thought the same. "Shirou, are you well?"

"I'm fine, you guys." Shirou lied.

Well, it wasn't a complete lie. Physically, Shirou was fine. Emotionally, he was in a bad way. He could hear, no, feel, all of the speculation surrounding his new companion. The strange and stunned looks were only their faces. Although they were spoken very quietly, words like "Arm candy" and "New girlfriend" fluttered from the student body as the three of them stepped through the halls. Thanks to Shinji, the whole school probably thought Shirou had a secret lover he was only now showing off. Whenever Shirou tried to correct those gutsy enough to approach and ask for more juicy tidbits that Saber was only a recent friend he made, (A not untrue claim) the rumor mill would grind his words to dust, and got people thinking he was simply a 'fast operator.' It was too much attention, and for all of the wrong reasons. He wanted to leave Saber at the entrance, but she insisted on following. Shirou considered trying to pass her off as a new transfer student, but realized what a worthless excuse that was. Even if he could forge the right paperwork, few people wold actually believe it now.

Eventually, he and Sakura had to separate for their respective classes. As they bid farewell, Shirou saw out of the corner of his eye that Sakura was shaking a bit. His concern for her went up, but before he could act on these feelings, he bumped into someone.

"Oh, excuse me." Shirou said automatically, and looked at who he had collided with.

The man in front of him was an adult, perhaps a few years older than Taiga. He had blonde hair that, while combed neatly, hung down on his head. He wore a green coat over his clothes, a snappy turtleneck and vest combo. He also had glasses. Shirou recognized him as Stuart-san, an assistant teacher that just recently started working at the school.

"It's all right," Stuart said, brushing himself off. "No harm done. Just be more careful, next time, Emiya-_kun_."

"I will."

Stuart's eyes drifted, and to Shirou's suppressed exasperation they landed on Saber. "And who might this be? A new transfer student?"

"N-no," Shirou quickly began introductions. "This is Saber, a friend of my father's I've met recently. Saber, this is Mr. Stuart, a member of the faculty."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Saber said cordially.

"The pleasure is all mine," Stuart said, "Do you live around here, Saber? I've just moved in myself."

"No," Saber replied, "I'm only visiting, to help Shirou during these difficult times."

"Hmm. Do you mean these strange attacks...or that giant machine out front?" Stuart asked.

"...I don't understand what you mean." Saber said after a moment.

Stuart shrugged. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm a bit jealous, actually. Emiya-kun has a cute lady like you watching out for him."

"Well...I need to get to class," Shirou said, and took that moment to walk very quickly ahead and away. "Saber, I'll see you after school, all right?"

"Shirou-!" Saber began to walk after him. As she followed after her Master, she didn't notice how narrow Stuart's eyes had become, staring intently at her retreating back.

* * *

Tails sat down besides the _Tornado _and wiped his brow. He was taking a break from the repair work, a job made somewhat easier thanks to the salvaged parts Archer brought back. It wasn't a very good job, however. While the pieces of metal were great for repairing the wings and hull, Tails wasn't so eager to use any of the circuit boards for the bi-plane's computers. Without a proper computer of his own, there was no way to double-check the software for bugs or (Knowing Eggman) virus'. This meant that there was a fairly large pile of parts lying in the yard. That was no good. From what Archer had said in the morning, Rin had not been pleased that her Servant had brought it all to her mansion. She had only allowed it under the belief that since Tails probably needed all of it for the repairs, the big stuff would be gone. That was understandable. No one liked having a pile of junk in their back yard. But Tails couldn't use most of it for the _Tornado_\- he wished he had Archer's help hiding it.

And then an idea came to mind. Tails reached into his gloves and pulled out the Power Ring Sonic lent him. While it would provide him with protection, if he lost it after being struck the gold loop would be gone forever. Tails pulled out the Miles Electric and began to search the files kept within its data banks. Eventually, he found the one he was looking for.

_Ring Synthesis_

_By Sir Charles the Hedgehog_

Tails examined the thesis, glancing back at the parts every now and then. Yeah, this could work. And if it did, none of them would have to worry about running out of Power Rings. Especially if they couldn't find a Special Zone...

* * *

_I can't do this anymore..._ Sakura thought miserably.

_What's wrong, Master? _Avenger asked, his thoughts laced with malevolence. _Have you found someone you would like me to kill?_

Sakura sighed. Sitting in class, she attempted to focus on the lecture, but found that difficult. The word around the school was that a purple-haired woman was the one who attacked the girls last night. Even Sakura couldn't force herself to ignore the very real truth of the matter.

Rider. Rider was the culprit.

At a young age, Sakura's magical talents were very obvious. And so, it was equally obvious that she would be the focus of Zouken's twisted upbringing. Before she was even ten years old, she had been made to suffer. Violated in every form of the word, the young girl had been forced to absorb the Matou's Magecraft, regardless of the pain it caused her. And then there was her brother. When Shinji found out that Sakura, not he, was to become the Matou's heir, his familial love twisted into in a fierce envy and hatred. He abused her, and Sakura, already numb from Zouken's 'training', did nothing to fight back. And in a way, she pitied him, for she knew his attitude stemmed from the despair of being ignored by his family. Shinji's father, she knew, barely paid him much mind, and Zouken had written the boy off as useless years ago. In such a household, how else could he turn out? And so she took it, as she knew there was no escape.

And when the Holy War began, Zouken forced Sakura to summon a Servant of her own, Rider. Sakura knew little of the Holy Grail, save that it granted a wish to whichever Master and Servant remained. Sakura wanted no part in it, but could not resist Zouken's commands.

Which was when Shinji came in. He convinced Zouken to have Sakura turn control of Rider over to him, and that he would win the Holy Grail for the Matou's. Zouken agreed, as he cared little about how the prize was won. Sakura felt sorry a bit for Rider, but she didn't think she could handle the stress of being a Master. Learning that Rider had been feeding on her classmates was a little jarring- not it should have been. There was no way her brother could supply Rider with the necessary Mana. The real question was…who made the decision to do so? The concern burned away at Sakura, and it was one more pain she could barely handle.

_Should I kill that guy in blue hair? Your brother, I mean?_

Of course, it would be easier if Avenger wasn't around. The gossip going around the school had only made him more obnoxious, and more bloodthirsty, apparently. Sakura wanted to be rid of the shadowy creature, but...

I_f you wish for me to be off, then, of course, I shall obey..._ Avenger whispered.

Sakura jolted slightly. The most aggravating thing about Avenger was that he seemed to be in direct contact with her thoughts. The only place where she felt even the slightest bit of peace was within her head, where the tender memories of her early childhood were. When the pain of her present state grew too strong, she would think back to a time when her life had not been an endless parade of suffering. But with Avenger, even that sanctuary was lost.

_But what else am I to do?_ Avenger asked, _I must remain by my Master's side, and ensure her safety._

_You...you do not need to be so close, _Sakura thought back, _I am in no danger..._

_Is that so? Then, do I have your permission to explore this world? To hunt?_

Could it really be that simple? _If- If I give you permission, would you stop following me around?_

Thanks to their mental bond, Sakura could feel Avenger nod in confirmation. While it wouldn't solve the problem entirely, the idea of putting some distance between her and her new 'Servant' made Sakura- well, not entirely happy- she hadn't really felt that way in over ten years- but it lifted her spirits slightly.

_You know, those kind of thoughts aren't going to help my self-confidence._ Avenger grumbled.

"Sakura?"

Sakura was pulled from her mental conversation by a voice in the real world. Standing besides her was Ayako's younger brother, Minori. She soon realized that besides him, she was the only person left sitting in the classroom.

"Mm, class is over." He said a bit awkwardly.

"...Thank you." Sakura replied, just as awkwardly.

For a moment, it looked like Minori wanted to say something, but all he did was shuffle out of the room, tossing Sakura an anxious glance over his shoulder. Once he was gone, Avenger materialized from the shadows. It was the first time he did so since first appearing two nights ago. In the daylight, he seemed even more sinister. His black body had an unearthly purple glow to it, faint but noticeable.

"I think he likes you." Avenger said, nodding at the door where Minori had gone.

"What?" Sakura blinked. Where did that come from?

"Never mind. So, is this it? I can go?" Avenger asked, almost eagerly.

There was a hunger in his tone that Sakura didn't like. "Yes. But- would you try not to attack anybody?"

Avenger tilted his head down slightly, almost sulking. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," Sakura affirmed, half-pleadingly. "I don't want you hurting any of the people." She knew asking Avenger not to fight at all was out of the question- all Servants brought into the world desired battle- but at the very least she could keep innocent bystanders from getting caught in the crossfire. That's something Shirou would do, after all.

For a moment, Avenger didn't answer. Then, lifting his spherical head, he said, "Just to be clear. Your orders are that I cannot harm any of the people- is that it?"

A bit confused by his inflictions, Sakura nodded. That blood-red smile appeared again, sending shivers up Sakura's spine.

"I understand completely, Master." Avenger said, and his form shrank into the ground, becoming a silhouette. The shadow slinked off, crawling up the wall and out the window, squeezing through the smallest space between the building and glass. Watching him go, Sakura couldn't help but wonder if she had done something terrible.

* * *

So far, the day had not been as bad as Shirou had thought it would be. Despite the occasional odd look, Saber's presence did not disrupt the day-to-day events of the school. The fact that she did not follow him into his classes probably helped. Good thing, too. Lessons would have been supremely awkward if she had.

"I am going to do a perimeter check, Shirou," Saber had told him, "I will meet up with you at your lunch break, so please exercise caution until then."

When lunchtime came around, Shirou realized that he didn't tell Saber that instead of the regular cafeteria, he typically had lunch in the student council room with his friend, Ryuudo Issei.

On his way there, however, he suddenly felt something. It wasn't a physical sensation, like stubbing a toe, or coming into contact with a patch of hot or cold air. This felt more like a magical presence. But it didn't feel like it belonged to a living creature, or even a Servant. There was something...off. An image flashed in his mind, that of an area covered in membranes, with people like decayed dolls.

Currently outside the school building, Shirou found himself drifting towards one of the tree's surrounding the campus. Once at the base, he found…something. It was a blood red pentagram of sorts, surrounded by a circle with obscure glyphs around the outside. On the center was a symbol that resembled an explosion- or writing tentacles.

Shirou's first thought was to reach out and touch it, which he instantly decided was idiotic. His next, much more rational idea was to find Rin and have her take a look. She would have a better idea of this...thing was than he would.

Just as Shirou turned to go back into the school, his Command Seals became warm. He heard a footsteps approaching from behind. He turned around instantly, his body tensing.

Rider walked towards him, her luscious body swaying with each step. There was a slight breeze which caused her hair to wave like a sexy flag. None of this detracted from the very noticeable sense of menace her presence created.

"Please come with me," She said, "My Master wishes to speak with you."

Shirou's blood went cold. He almost summoned Saber with a Command Seal on reflex, but just barely stopped himself. The fact of the matter was that there was no way a human, even a Mage, could stand up to the power of a Servant. If Rider had wanted to kill him, she would have done so already, and Shirou would be dead before he even knew it. Furthermore, if he summoned his own Servant, their inevitable battle would draw more unnecessary attention, something no one wanted to risk. No matter where the fight took place, it would start a ruckus that would expose the War.

And so, walking as slowly as he could manage, Shirou followed Rider. He hoped that if he drew this out long enough, either Saber or Rin would notice his absence and come looking. Or maybe, since Rider was blind, he could sneak off without her noticing...

"Move faster, or I'll knock you out and drag you." Rider said without turning around.

...Or maybe his sensuous captor could become less patient and more 'pro-active.' As he quickened his pace, a single thought ran Shirou's mind.

_Did Sonic the Hedgehog ever have days like this?_

* * *

"Achoo!"

Sonic couldn't have sneezed at a worse time. He was just inches away from defeating Warhead and completing Vectorman. But Sonic was one hit-point from death with only one life left when it happened, and in the split second his eyes were closed, the screen had changed from that of a final boss battle to that of Vectorman falling apart in a black background. Sonic shut the Genesis off with a disgusted snort. He didn't feel like running the gamut again, and it probably wasn't good for his eyes.

Looking around the empty house, Sonic considered just going out to get a better lay of the land. The only times he had been in the city was at night, and he wanted to see what it looked like in daylight. After all, Saber wasn't around to play watch dog.

_Maybe I could go see how Tails is... _ Sonic thought, _After all, he's living in a mansion now. Wonder how well it stacks up to this place._

His mind made up, Sonic went into instant-acceleration.

Whump!

And instantly slipped on a pillow. Sonic's body slid across the well-mopped floor. He hit a bookshelf, jostling its contents. With a groan, Sonic pulled himself up.

"Ugh... wipe out," He muttered. Then a book fell on him. "Ouch!"

Shaking his head, Sonic glared at the offending tome. It looked normal enough, if not a bit heavy. His first thought was that it was a spell book, but that concept was disregarded. The book looked too normal to be magical. The cover wasn't made from leather, and there was a distinct lack of mysterious symbols or ominous noises. The title wasn't even in Latin, a language Sonic had stereotypically associated with wizardry.

_Kiritsugu_

* * *

Shirou couldn't believe what he was seeing. After their encounter on school grounds, Rider had 'escorted' Shirou to the back of the academy. They purposely took a route that avoided other students and staff. Every time it a stray person would wander by, Rider would always have Shirou pulled into the shadows with a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. Shirou briefly wondered if Rider could detect people as a power granted by the Grail, or if being blindfolded had heightened her senses. Either way, their little walk was unlikely to be interrupted.

They soon came upon a storage shed. Rider gestured towards the door.

"My Master is inside." She said.

Shirou swallowed, tensed, and went inside. There, most the sports gear usually kept inside had been removed. A card table had been set up, along with a lamp for light. All in all made the interior look like a low-budget office. But most shocking of all was who sat behind the table.

"Shinji?!" Shirou gasped. He thought he was seeing things, but there was no mistaking that obnoxious smirk.

"Yo, Emiya," Shinji greeted, "Rider didn't treat you too roughly, did you?"

Shirou heard footsteps, and knew that the Servant in question was entering the shed. Shirou gritted his teeth.

Shinji just laughed. "Relax, Emiya! You're not in any danger. Rider wouldn't hurt a fly while I'm around."

Shirou glanced behind him and frowned. "I wonder how Mitsuzuri-san and the other girls would react to that."

Shinji's smile fell a bit, and he nodded. "Looks like I'd better explain a few things.

"I didn't really intend to summon Rider. She just appeared one day. Being descended from a clan of Mages, it was only inevitable that I be dragged into this mess. I wasn't so sure about this 'Holy War' thing, but Rider assured me that I wouldn't have to do anything. She'd do all of the fighting."

Shirou looked at Rider, who was now standing impassively at the door. Maybe it was the blindfold, but she seemed even more emotionless than Saber.

"You've heard that some weak Masters have their Servants steal mana from people to power them up, right?" Shinji continued, "Well, Rider decided to do the same thing while I wasn't looking. She didn't kill anyone, but-"

But they were pretty close to death, Shirou knew. Was Shinji trying to pass everything Rider had done as an innocent mistake?

"That's why I called you out here," Shinji said, "I can't say anything to Ayako or anyone else, but I want you to know that I'm sorry for Rider's behaveour. I used a Command Seal to keep her from doing it again."

Shirou wasn't so sure if a simple apology would suffice, but decided not to press the issue. At the very least, he now knew who Rider's Master was. He would have to talk with Tohsaka about this.

But Shinji wasn't done, apparently. "Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk business," He said, "That cutie you brought to school. She's your Servant, isn't she?"

"...Yeah." No point in denying it.

"Hmph, you're pretty gloomy, even though you've got a beautiful woman by your side," Shinji remarked sardonically, "But I guess some people can't handle the pressure of a War, huh? Maybe I can help with that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we should form an alliance," Shinji explained, "After all, we're friends. Neither of us asked to take part in this War. Why shouldn't we work together?"

Shirou didn't answer that. He stared at Shinji, trying to figure if his alleged friend was being sincere in his offer. Though neither of them noticed, Rider suddenly tilted her head in confusion.

"I understand if you're a bit intimidated," Shinji went on, "But I really don't want to be your enemy. Why don't I give some intel?

"From what Rider tells me, there's now a powerful Boundary Field surrounding the Ryuudou Temple. Not only that, but there's now a weird samurai guarding the Temple's gate. I'll bet anything that there's a Master camping out there. The leylines there are perfect for some high-level Magecraft," He smile grew. "So, what do you say?"

Shirou was silent for a moment. Then, he said, "If you keep Rider from attacking any people, I'll tell Saber not to fight her. But I'm not sure if we should team up yet," He already had an alliance with Tohsaka, after all. She might not react kindly if Shirou joined Shinji, and her temper was already being pushed to the breaking point because of Sonic and company. "Let's just call a ceasefire for now."

Shinji gritted his teeth, but forced a smile. "If that's your ans-"

Boom

"-the Hell?" Shinji stood up, confused.

Shirou's nerves went into overdrive. There was something very familiar about that tremor...

* * *

A few minutes ago, Saber waited for Shirou in the school council room with Issei. The two had met outside in the hallways, and found themselves on good terms. Issei had never gotten along with girls, but something about Saber's stoicism appealed to the monk-in-training.

"Shirou is late," Saber said, sitting at the table. "What do you think has happened to him.

Issei sighed. "I'm sure it's nothing so serious. It's likely that he's been distracted by someone needing a bit of assistance. He's always been like that."

Saber looked at the student body president. "What do you mean?"

Issei glanced at the door, if expecting Shirou to come in at that moment. When nothing happened, he looked back at Saber and said, "For as long as I've known him, Shirou's never turned down a request from someone. If it was something he could do, he would do it. Whether it was repairing damaged equipment, or cleaning rooms, Shirou did it. I won't deny that he's been a big help to the school..." Issei paused, "Sometimes I worry this attitude might endanger him. Someday some unscrupulous person may take advantage of his better nature."

Saber was silent. She recalled how quickly Shirou jumped between her and Berserker on their first night together. At first she assumed it was just some misplaced chivalry, but now...

Before she could think anymore, she heard some screaming. So did Issei.

"What's that?" He asked, standing up. Opening the door, he saw several students running down the hall. He grabbed one freshman by the arm. "What's all the commotion?"

"O-outside!" The boy yelled, "There's something approaching the school!"

Saber stood up. Without giving Issei another glance, she ran out. Running down the hallway, she saw several students gathered outside a window facing the school courtyard. Annoyingly, they were all taller than her, so she had to force herself to the front in order to see what was the matter. Once she got a good look, her eyes widened. Standing in front of the school was a giant.

* * *

Causing a slight tremor with each step, the massive figure approached Homurahara Academy. Though humanoid in basic shape, it's body was blocky, looking like it had scales. A faint purple was its paint job, and a face that was blank, save for two yellow eyes and a metal grill that looked like a grimace. Jutting out of its head on both sides were massive, bent antenna, with yellow yellow spheres on each end. /\/\/\/\/\o

E-1056 "Frankly"

In his Egg-Mobile, Dr. Eggman floated in the air, just a little bit before the giant robot. Attached to the bottom was what looked like a boxing glove the size of a wrecking ball. It was both comical and foreboding to look at.

"Let's see, which one was the loudspeaker, again...?" Eggman muttered, and pushed a button. His voice was then amplified for all to hear. "_There we go. Ahem! Attention, students and faculty of this clearly under-budgeted school! I am Dr. Eggman! And I'm afraid you're lessons are going to be cut short!_

"_Somewhere on this campus is a small gem, roughly the size of my fist. Hand it over, and I'll leave without another word. If not_..." Eggman turned off his microphone. "Frankly?"

The spheres on Frankly's antenna crackled, and then two bolts of lightning shot out! People screamed as the energy struck the school. Eggman laughed nastily, twirling his mustache. He turned the speaker on again. "_And that was just a warning shot!_"

* * *

From her homeroom, Rin stared in horror at the madman threatening their school. As the rest of the room began to panic and rapidly speculate as to what this lunatic was talking about, Rin and Archer held their own private discussion on the matter.

_Coming out in broad daylight?_ She thought, shaking. _Is he INSANE?_

_That's why they're called 'mad scientists',_ Archer told her telepathically, _A severe lack of sanity._

_You know what I mean Archer!_ Rin retorted, _Why is that idiot coming out in the open?!_

While Rin had become more or less aware, if not accustomed to, the idea that the city was being threatened by dangerous machines, she had subconsciously assumed Eggman would be like the other Masters and act with caution. This flagrant assault had caught her completely by surprise. Not Archer. Unlike Rin, who kept to herself, the Servant had spent the previous day and current morning talking with Tails about life in the fox's own world. Apparently, this sort of thing was a common occurrence where Eggman was concerned.

Rather than saying that, Archer told Rin, _We can discuss his tact is later. This may in fact work in our favor._

Rin, trying to keep her calm, quickly caught on to what her Servant was saying. _You're right. As annoying as this is, it's easy to fix. Go find a good point and snipe that looney._

_Give me a few minutes,_ Archer replied, and Rin felt his presence begin to drift away. _I'll be on the roof and ready to act shortly._

_No! Not from the school!_ Rin mentally shouted, _There's too much attention on the campus to begin with! Do it from another building!_

_But that'll leave you in danger,_ Archer argued, _Unless you've got a healing factor that'll put Shirou's to shame, I don't think you'll survive if one of those lightning bolts hits you._

"Students," A stern voice said. This was Kuziki Souchirou, another teacher. He was at the door. He seemed his normally stoic self, even in these outlandish circumstances. "Evacuate the school. Now."

_I'll be FINE,_ Rin insisted as she went with others _Just get over there and put an end to this!_

Archer made an unhappy face, but left as directed. While the students hurried out of the room as quickly as they could without trampling each other (Not an easy feat, but doable when Kuzuki-sensei was watching), Souchirou's eyes remained glued on the window. He focused his glare on the floating vehicle in the distance, carrying an rotund madman with a comically bushy mustache. He had been forewarned about such a person, by the latest visitor to the Ryuudou Temple. And he had seen the remains of the giant machine earlier. As such, he wasn't too surprised to see another robot accompanied by the aforementioned maniac. A bit stunned by the doctor's abrupt and decidedly non-subtle actions, true, but not really surprised. Not really.

_So, that's Dr. Eggman. _The Master of Caster thought.

* * *

Shirou, Shinji, and Rider had not seen what caused the explosions. While they had heard Eggman's announcement, and saw pieces of the school explode, they were still unclear as to what was going on. But when they managed to get close enough around the main building to take a look- with Shinji creeping a reasonable distance behind Shirou- all questions were dispelled, replaced with others, such as...

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" Shinji screamed, pointing at the giant robot.

Shirou gritted his teeth and reinforced his eyes. Ignoring the hot-rod feeling in his spine, he focused his attention on the figure hovering next to the robot. He then looked at the robot itself, and saw tell-tale trails of smoke coming from its antenna and got a pretty good idea what caused the destruction.

_I can't believe he came in person,_ Was Shirou's first thought. He wasn't too surprised that Eggman had sent another robot- with three Servants at the school, his 'magic detectors' must have been going into overdrive.

"What is a Chaos Emerald?" Rider asked.

"How should I know!?" Shinji clutched his head with one hand, looking both terrified and confused. "Ugh! Tohsaka's family deals in Jewel Magecraft. Maybe this has something to do with her!"

Shirou was surprised to learn that Shinji already knew Rin was a Mage. However, he put his confusion on hold due to the circumstances. Taking Shinji by the shoulders, he faced his estranged friend.

"Listen, Shinji, you need to get Rider out of here." The red-haired Mage said, "Eggman has a machine that lets him detect and track sources of magical energy. That's why he's here! He thinks the presence of our Servants is that Emerald!"

"WHAT?" Shinji cried out. Next to him, Rider's normally impassive face betrayed a look of shock at this revelation. "But, that's impossible!"

Shirou looked back at Eggman. "Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if that word has any meaning anymore- Oh no."

"What now?" Shinij moaned, looking over Shirou's shoulders. While he couldn't reinforce his eyes, he could still see the small army that was now walking around the robot, having hidden in the large machine's shadow, somehow.

"_And to help you with your search, I'll be sending my little helpers in!_" Eggman chortled over his loudspeaker, "_Take care!_"

Shirou's blood went cold as the robots- a small portion of which only looked remotely human- rushed at the school. And that portion were the only ones that bothered to use the doors. The other robots, that looked like oversized crabs, bees, and beetles that had large wheels in place of legs, chose to get in blasting away and crashing through walls and windows.

"Uh, on second thought, leaving might be the best course of action," Shinji decided, and began to back away. "Rider, we're leaving! Watch my back!"

Without giving Shirou another look, Shinji turned and bolted. The purple haired Servant just rolled her eyes, an act hidden from the world, and leapt after him, vanishing as she entered her astral form. Shirou, for his part, was no longer thinking about the Matou teen. Instead, as he rushed for the nearest entrance to the school building, he realized that there was no easy solution. This was going to be a madhouse.

* * *

The school was in pandemonium. The invasion of the robots turned what should have been a hurried evacuation into a full-fledged riot. The Badniks(Copyright of Robotnik Industries, Patent Pending) seemed to be everywhere, knocking over furniture and blasting anything that moved in their search. Students and teachers alike tripped over each other trying to get away. For Saber, this made her search for Shirou incredibly difficult.

"Shi-!" Her cry for help was cut off as a hefty third-year student shoved her aside. Growling, she got up, only for the tide of bodies to suddenly go in the other direction. She quickly realized why; A robot built like a crab (Sonic had called this model Crabmeat) had appeared behind a corner! The Badnik pointed one claw at Saber, and from a gun port in the direct center, a fireball flew out. Saber ducked- The fire struck a wall, blasting it a hole in it- and shot towards the robot. She gave Crabmeat a solid kick, sending it out a window. Thankfully, no one had been around to see it. But that was only a small comfort. Even without the highly-tuned senses of a Heroic Spirit, she could hear and feel the havoc the rest of the Badniks were wreaking. The building shook again, and Saber looked out the window in alarm. Aparently, Eggman had the giant robot launch another salvo at the school. The lady knight watched as the mad doctor's evil laugh reached her ears. Deep down, she wanted nothing more than to go out and personally take Eggman down- the fastest way to end a battle was to eliminate the enemy's head, after all. But to go out in public and fight would expose the War. Not that every act of these off-worlders weren't doing that already…Eggman's assault was already attracting attention. Even from this distance, she could see a news crew getting everything on film. It wouldn't be long until the entire city, perhaps all of Japan, would see what was going on. And they would know that something called a "Chaos Emerald" was worth leveling an entire school for.

_That's right…Eggman thinks the energy from Servants are those Emeralds, _Saber thought, _That's why he came here. Maybe I can use that…_

As she pondered on a plan, Saber's eyes drifted towards a door. It had a sign.

Drama Club

* * *

"Hyyaaah!" Shirou yelled swinging a piece of metal that used to be a chair leg. It struck a Motobug dead on, knocking it off its wheel. With its balance disrupted, Shirou allowed himself to relax, and the feeling like a hot metal rod up his spine left. He had been reinforcing not only the metal, but also his upper body to increase the force of his swing. He let out a heavy sigh. The way Sonic described it, trashing Badniks sounded easy. But he barely put a dent in the thing. Luckily, because of its design, the Motobug would be incapacitated for several minutes- which was more than enough time to put some distance in. He glanced at the pair of staff members who had been huddle against a corner for safety.

"What are you doing? Run!" Shriou shouted, and the two adults fled. He heard a metal whining, and turned back to see that an Egg Pawn was helping up the Motobug. Once it was back on its wheel, the robotic beetle pointed a claw at Shirou. The Egg Pawn glanced at Shirou, before waving hurriedly at a nearby door. Another Egg Pawn came out.

Shirou gulped. Somehow, he didn't like the way they were looking at him.

* * *

Rin wasn't faring much better. She, along with a group of girls that included Ayako, were at the time running for their lives from a trio of Crabmeats whose awkward design was the only thing keeping them at bay. While Rin wanted to use her own Magecraft and destroy the things, she knew she couldn't. For one thing, someone might see her; Even if she could alter their memories, it was too great a chance to take. Furthermore, the magic she stored in her gems was meant to fight in the Holy War. She couldn't waste them on…_machines_. As long as she could keep her distance, it would be fine. They would wreck the school, but that wasn't her business.

_But it _is _your business, _a little voice whispered in the back of her mind. It was the same voice that told her to use her special pendant to heal Shirou. _You know why Eggman thinks there is a Chaos Emerald here. If you had left school earlier, find an excuse to take Shirou with you, Eggman's detectors would not have brought him here. He would not think there is power here._

_And now that he has come, you are running away. Ignoring those you could help._

It was a voice that used to speak quite loudly when she was younger, but went silent in recent years. And it was because of that voice that she healed Shirou, using the pendant she stored ten years of magic in. And with every word that voice spoke, Rin's pace slowed just a little bit, until she was at the back of the pack. Everyone else was too busy fleeing for their own lives to notice. When they passed around a corner, Rin stopped running. And amazingly, so did the robots. They weren't smart machines, (though Rin was of the opinion that machines didn't think period) truth be told. As good as he was at designing hardware, artificial intelligence was a facet of the trade that Eggman lacked. The Crabmeats knew that Rin had some strange energy inside of her, power similar to that of the Chaos Emeralds, but could not comprehend or conceive of why that was. As they regarded her, Rin made her move. Reinforcing her body, calling upon private lessons in martial arts, Rin swept her leg in a devastating kick that not only caught one Crabmeat, but caused it to collide with the other two. They crashed into a wall, suffering much damage. Rin was a better Mage than Shirou, who could better control her Prana. As such, she had done a better job of attacking her pursuers than he had. That said, using her bare leg and not a weapon was probably a bad idea.

Shaking off the pain, Rin resumed her run. As she went, she hoped that things would improve soon- though how they could get any worse required more thought than she could spare at the moment.

* * *

Eggman's trip to Homurahara Academy did not go unnoticed. From the moment he and his forces entered Japan, police switchboards all around the country had been swamped with calls about the evil robot armies. As such, it did not take long for both the police _and _a small military force to arrive at the school. A news crew also came, and was covering the story from a safe distance.

As two tanks rolled up, a police captain began to speak through a megaphone, "_Attention! You are causing a disturbance!_"

Eggman glanced at the assembled forces and raised an eyebrow. _Only two tanks? How insulting. _

"_You are ordered to stand down, or we will use force!_" The captain finished, and his words would have been somewhat intimidating if it wasn't for the slight tremble at the very end.

Eggman had turned his Eggmobile around to fully address the captain. He bunched up his fists and held them to his face in mock fright. "Oh, no! Not _force!_ How could I have forgotten about _force! _What_ever _shall I _do?_" He wailed, the sarcasm so thick it was a wonder they could leave his mouth. Dropping both his hands and the sarcasm, he growled, "Here's an idea!"

The giant boxing glove jittered, then rocketed off, connected to the Eggmobile's underside by a chain. It crashed into captain's police car, sending it flipping over. As the glove retracted, the tanks began to turn their cannons towards Eggman and Frankly. Rather than waiting for them to finish aiming, the giant robot fired two more bolts of lightning from its antenna, wrecking them instantly.

"Ahh! Nothing like a little pointless destruction to take the edge off!" Eggman chuckled, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "But, I'll have plenty of time for that when I rule the world. Frankly!" The Eggmobile spun around to face the school. "The Badniks are taking too long! Smash that building to pieces and we'll search through the rubble!"

Frankly nodded, and began to march towards the school. Each step made a loud noise, and those who hadn't run away or were still conscious began to liken them to a death knell. As it moved, the spheres its antenna began to glow as they built up energy.

_CRUNCH_

_CRUNCH_

_CRUNCH_

Those in the school that were near the front windows saw Frankly coming, and caused a greater panic when they spread word that the _bigger _robot was coming on top of the small army that were already in the building. Some had just lied down and decided to accept the end peacefully. This was a world without heroes, and one where its people died very easily.

"Stop right there!"

And lo, did a hero appear.

Eggman cocked his head. That wasn't the voice he had been expecting. And when he looked down, he saw that standing in front of Frankly wasn't the hero he had been expecting.

It was Saber. She had materialized her armor, but not her invisible sword. Her head was obscured entirely by a helmet. It was not the headgear worn by the knights of old, but a replica of the kind the Kamen Rider had. And in spite of the conflicting styles creating an appearance that was patently ridiculous, her presence did stop Frankly in its tracks…from confusion.

"You will not find what you seek here!" Saber declared. This was not the best plan, she knew. she was taking a huge risk, coming out into the open. "Leave this place, at once!"

Eggman raised an eyebrow. "And who are you supposed to be, the Mighty Bug Queen?" He was about to complain about the quality of superheroes in the dimension when his computer beeped. When he saw the readouts, his eyes widened underneath the glasses; this strange girl was brimming with energy, like she was made of the stuff! "Oho! So, _you've _got the Chaos Emerald!"

Saber smiled bitterly. So, the loon was taking the bait. So far, so good. Now was the tricky part. When Frankly lunged at her, Saber had to be very careful on how she dodged. There were people watching, after all. If she moved too quickly, displayed ability far beyond what a mortal being could do, it would break the facade of normality the Mages Association worked to create- and would kill to maintain. Waiting until the absolutely last minute, she jumped aside, just narrowly avoiding Frankly's mechanized fists. She even threw herself into a roll, to better create the illusion that she was inches away from dying. She couldn't let it look too easy.

"Catch me if you can!" She shouted, moving away. Hopefully, Eggman, and his robots, would be lured away from the school in the doctor's mad hunger for power.

"Not so fast!" Eggman shouted, pointing dramatically. "Unless you hand over that Chaos Emerald over to me, my Badniks will destroy the school! So don't think about leaving yet- unless you don't care what happens to those poor, innocent students!"

Saber felt herself freeze. Suddenly, she found that she was between a rock and a hard place; In her zeal to try and solve the situation quickly, she may have made things worse. She couldn't fight effectively in public. But if she tried to move the battle to a less open location, Eggman's robots would go on a rampage!

* * *

Archer, stationed on a nearby building, raised an eyebrow at what happened in the school's courtyard. He had long since been dulled to surprises, but seeing Saber in that Kamen Rider helmet came very close to breaking his calm. He actually lowered his bow for a brief second before bringing it back up.

_Damn, she actually looks kinda cute in that, _he thought, _I wonder if I can get her to wear the helmet again later on._

"_I am the bone of my sword_." He intoned, and a sword appeared in his hand. It was Hrunting, a weapon that would always seek its target. A bit overkill, but for all he knew Eggman had his hover car surrounded by an invisible forcefield. Recent events had taught him to expect anything.

_Archer! Why haven't you shot Eggman yet!? _Rin's voice echoed in his head.

_I assume you've seen what Saber's gotten into?_

_Yes! What is she think- Owww!_

_What happened?_

_I hit my wrist. Things are going crazy now- the robots are out of control! Emiya must have infected Saber with his stupidity!_

_It'll over in a minute, hopefully, _Archer said mentally as he pulled his bow back. _Try not to watch. This could get messy._

"Hey, that's no fun. They've just gotten started."

Archer felt an incredibly **dark **presence behind him and whirled about, inadvertently releasing the bowstring. A portion of the building's roof exploded, and when the dust settled, Archer's eyes beheld something very much _un_settling. It was some kind of…living shadow, black, and glowing with a purple aura. It's red, dot eyes were staring holes into the bowman…hopefully, not literally.

"So, you're this war's Archer, huh?" It asked in a voice that resonated from its entire body. "Gotta say, I'm not impressed. You're nowhere near as cool as the last guy."

"And just what are you supposed to be?" Archer hissed, Projecting his swords. He had no idea what was standing before him. It looked too monstrous to be a Servant, even by the standard set by Berserker. On the other hand, it's Mana was higher than any familiar he had encountered in life. Regardless, every fiber of Archer's being, every sense, every instinct was screaming at him to destroy the abomination before him.

"Oh, just another Servant," Avenger said, "I was looking for someone to play with. But Master asked me not to harm any people, which led me to you. After all…Servants aren't_ people_…"

Avenger reached out, and its arm suddenly stretched out and lunged at Archer, with movements almost like snake at its prey. Archer parried the assault, and turned his white blade into a Broken Phantasm, a sword overloaded with Prana to the point of bursting. Any Servant could do so, but that would mean losing their weapon for the rest of the War. Archer, however, could replicate any number of his arsenal a number of times. But as ghastly thing before him regrew his arm, the bowman knew it was only a slight advantage.

_Rin, it's going to take me a bit longer to get Eggman…_

* * *

Shirou had no idea what was happening outside. He spent most of his time running all over the school, avoiding robots whenever the odds were too great, and helping those who hadn't been able to escape. And now, for reasons that were unknown to him, the Badniks weren't just knocking things over in their search for an Emerald. They were purposely breaking down walls, smashing through chalkboards, and tipping over chairs. At one point, he almost saw an Egg Pawn drawing obnoxious doodles on one blackboard punching a hole in it with its metal fist.

And amongst that madness was Emiya Shirou, Master of Saber. Even though the robots were not actively pursuing him, he still had to be careful. Their weird designs notwithstanding, these were dangerous machines. There was no way he could destroy all of them. With that in mind, Shirou only fought the ones that were attacking people. The robots did chase him, but apparently lost interest the minute he left their sight.

A shriek caught Shirou's attention, and it was a very familiar one. _Sakura!_

Racing into one room, Shirou found to his horror that his underclassman was trapped with two robots. In the center of the classroom, a Crabmeat and a Motobug were standing over a pile of wood that used to be someone's desk. The Crabmeat was fiddling with the matches, apparently unable to strike one properly. Sakura was huddled in one corner, rocking back and forth in fear. Walking carefully around the Badniks (Who were now fighting over the matches- Motobug was losing), Shirou crept up to his underclassman. He saw that, despite the tears running down her face, the girl was catatonic, almost in a world of his own.

"Sakura…?" He whispered, keeping one eye on the robots.

"I'm going to die…" She moaned, almost unaware.

"Sakura, it's going to be all right," Shirou said.

"I can't do this anymore…" She sobbed, "I can't keep pretending…"

_There were everywhere. The flames. the screams. People crying out for help, begging to be saved. A small boy stood out from the crowd, the only one not crushed under burning rubble. He walked alone, heedless to their wails…_

Shirou forced that scene out. Taking Sakura's hand, he tried to stand her up.

"I'm going to get you out of here," He told her, "It's going to be okay."

There came a sound of wood burning, and gears shifting. Looking, Shirou saw both robots looking at them. And the desk was on fire. Without another word, he grabbed Sakura by the arm and dragged her out as quickly as possible.

* * *

Fujimura Taiga was in her element, so to speak. When Eggman first appeared, her first reaction was to gawk at the spectacle. Immediately afterwards, she began to act. While most of the city and basically the entire school thought of her as an overgrown child, a hyperactive girl in a woman's skin, she had earned her teacher's credentials for a reason, and spearheaded the evacuation effort. Which to her, was personally leading a large crowd of students out of the school while using her formidable _kendo _skills to remove any robots in their way. The Badniks weren't destroyed, but they became a lot less eager to go near the clearly unstable woman with a wooden stick.

But as caught in the action as Taiga was, she hadn't forgotten that two of her favorite students were MIA. She wanted to keep looking around the school for them, but Taiga knew she had to make sure the students she had already found were out of danger.

_Shirou, Sakura, please be safe! _She silently pleaded.

* * *

Archer didn't know what he was going to do. Which showed just how bad the situation was. He prided himself on his control and discipline, the mental ability to discern which strategy was the best one to implement. Even against an opponent that far exceeded his abilities, the bowman knew how to act (IE, run away). But against the creature before him, he was at a loss. It wasn't that the 'Servant' was a particularly skilled fighter. Far from it. As creepy as its extending body parts were, the shadowy being lacked the strength to actually close the gap between him and Archer. Thanks to his ability to Project and explode a holy sword as many times as he wanted, Archer could easily fend off the creature's assaults. But the inverse was true as well. No matter how many times the shadow got blasted, its body would just regenerate as if nothing happened. It was like fighting the tide at a beach.

And what _was _it? It claimed to be a Servant, but Archer knew that was impossible. All of the Servant roles had already been filled. Lancer, Saber, and Berserker he had seen personally, and Saber confirmed that the Rider he knew had appeared. And judging from the crowds of people that had fainted, the Caster from his War had appeared as well. That meant the Assassin was the same, too. Hopefully. Then again…

"So, if you're a Servant, which one are you?" Archer asked his attacker, "Assassin, I suppose?"

Avenger hummed. "Oh, I've got a bit of Assassin in me…lots of Assassin, actually. And Rider. And Berserker. In fact…" Avenger's spherical head cocked, and its red crescent smile grew wider. "The only pieces I'm missing are Archer and Saber…"

And now Archer was worried for additional reasons.

* * *

Shirou was worried. The Badniks chasing after him and Sakura had increased in number. And he knew why. The machines were confusing the Prana inside of him for the energy of the Chaos Emerald. Therefore, the obvious solution was to separate from Sakura and lure the Badniks away from her. But that plan was out. In her current state, Sakura was unlikely to make it out from the school before the robots destroyed it.

A Motobug appeared around a corner. Without even thinking about it, Shirou Reinforced his leg and kicked it, sending the machine off its stride. He pulled Sakura around it, not even bothering to give the Motobug a second glance. Shirou knew it would get back up. If only he could use magic to destroy the robots more completely…

Saber kept jumping around, dodging Frankly's attempts to grab her. It was embarrassing, to spend the battle dodging, but there was little else she could do. With the whole of the city watching, (Thank you, Journalism and information streaming technology!) she couldn't unleash her full fighting potential without exposing Magecraft. Even without using her sword, moving too quickly would tell too much. And if she tried to run away, Eggman would take out his frustration on the rest of the school and its occupants. While Saber hoped that she bought enough time for the students and faculty to run away, she couldn't take the chance. What she _really _wanted to do was punch the doctor in the face. But Eggman kept his Egg Mobile floated just out of range- for a human. If it wasn't for the public eye, nothing short of dramatic emphasis would keep her from leaping up and breaking Eggman's jaw.

But Eggman wasn't content to just watch. With his thumb on the trigger, every ounce of Eggman's concentration was set on waiting until the ideal moment to strike. He had done this many times in his skirmishes with Sonic; Keep the enemy hopping with little attacks, then, when they slowed down for just a _second_, WHAMMO!

Engman was so busy waiting to hit Saber that he didn't notice the blue ball rocketing towards him. No one did, until it rammed into the Egg Mobile. The hover vehicle rocked, and Engman's fingers accidentally, brushed the trigger. The boxing glove blasted off, missing Saber by a full meter and struck Frankly in the chest. Saber looked to see what had happened- and who had saved her.

"Sonic!" She cried, for it was he. Standing on top of a ruined tank, rubbing his nose for all the world to see. He did not seem the least bit perturbed to be caught out in the open. If anything, the Hedgehog seemed to revel in the attention.

"Nice mask, sister," Sonic greeted, snapping his finger. He pointed at Eggman. "Yo, Eggman! Just because you never graduated from high school, doesn't mean you have to ruin it for everyone else!"

Recovering, Eggman's mustache bristled as he glared at his hated nemesis. "You! You _are _here!"

"Live, and in color, Egg-baby!" Sonic declared, spreading out his arms

"I should have know," Eggman growled, "Well, you're not stopping me this time! Frankly! Forget the Bug Queen! _Get that Hedgehog!_"

Frankly fired another salvo of lighting at Sonic, which he effortlessly dodged. Evidently, he had fewer problems with using his abilities in public. Once he landed, Saber appeared by his side.

"Why are you here?" She asked in a low voice.

"Tails saw a news stream and gave me a buzz," Sonic replied, "Thought you needed a hand."

Their brief discussion was interrupted by Eggman trying to pound them with his boxing glove again. Jumping in opposite directIons, they regrouped in front of the school fountain.

""Tails is inside, cleaning out the other robots!" Sonic explained, "But if you wanna go back and check on your man, I won't blame you."

Saber thought about it. Sonic's offer was a bit generous. She wanted nothing more than to retreat and ensure the welfare of her Master. There was no telling what kind of danger he had gotten into while she had been preoccupied. And she knew that coming out at all had been pushing it. But she couldn't abandon the battle now. Not only would that mean leaving Sonic to fight two enemies on his own, but _someone _had to keep him from acting too outrageously. Just because they were breaking the rules of secrecy, it did not mean they should go out of their way to expose everyone else.

"No, I will stay," Saber said, "After all, Shirou would never forgive me if I let someone face danger without offering my aid. Besides," She looked up at Eggman's frowning face as he and Frankly charged at them. "I have a pressing need to teach that lunatic a lesson!"

"Aww, but _I _wanted to take down Eggman," Sonic mock-whined.

"My world, my dibs." Saber replied.

"Fair enough."

A glass dome closed over Eggman in his cockpit, and the doctor shook his fist at the heroes. "You're history!"

* * *

Inside the school, the small group of escapees had passed by a window when Sonic appeared. And his appearance did not go unnoticed. While all of the students had wide-eyes of shock, the biggest pair belonged to Rin and Ayako.

"SEE?! IT'S HIM!" Ayako yelled, pointing. "I TOLD YOU!"

Rin couldn't say anything. Her tongue had frozen and her mouth was stuck open. _What is that idiot doing?!_

Before Rin could fully process what was happening, one of the boys yelled. A pair of Buzz Bombers had appeared around a corner. The robot bees aimed their stinger-cannons at the students, and the barrels glowed. As the other students backed away in fright, only Rin remained still. She knew that there were robots behind them. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place. As much as Rin didn't like doing it, she would have to use her Gems to shoot down the Buzz Bombers. Luckily, all of the eventual witnesses were gathered in the same place, so erasing their memories would be a simple chore.

Before Rin could enact her daring plan, fate intervened in the form of a fluffy, orange ball. The ball struck each Buzz Bomber, destroying them completely. As bits of metal rained down on the floor, a pair of birds- with large heads and large eyes- appeared from the wreckage and flew off, looking only slightly disoriented. Then, the orange ball uncurled to reveal itself to be none other than Tails.

"Are you guys all right?" The fox asked, "Nobody hurt?"

The students stared at him. The boy who had cried out simply pointed. "_Ki-kitsune…_"

"Another one…" Ayako murmured, equally stunned. "What _are _guys?"

"Umm…" Tails scratched the back of his head. When he saw the Badniks threatening the students, he forgot about Rin's none-too-gentle request to stay hidden as old instincts kicked in. Speaking of Rin, her surprise had given way to a look of fury, complete with throbbing veins on her forehead. While Tails believed his actions were justified by dint of defending the weak and helpless, he decided that he might try to meet her halfway on the subject.

"Not magic, that's for sure!" Was his answer to Ayako's question. Judging from the way Rin clutched her forehead, that answer wasn't as snappy as he would have liked. He decided to change the subject. "Uh, oh no! More Badniks!" He began to helicopter. "I'll take care of them, take the exit on the other side of the building, away from where Sonic and Eggman are fighting."

As the students ran past Tails, Rin slowed down just enough to make a very threatening gesture. It consisted of carefully making a tracing a line at neck-level with her finger. Tails got her message. Gulping, he flew forward at the approaching Badniks. Maybe if he crushed enough robots the adrenalin would override the fear.

* * *

Back outside, the battle was starting to turn in Saber's favor. With Frankly's attention being commanded by Sonic, she was able to better focus on Eggman. It was surprisingly easy. For as shockingly powerful as his metallic boxing glove was when it actually hit something, (As an unfortunate army tank found out when it got caught in the crossfire) it was simple for someone with the heightened reflexes of a Heroic Spirit to dodge. And then, the time in which Eggman needed to retract the glove for another shot gave Saber time to run up the cybernetic tether to attack his pod directly. Every time she got up onto his Egg Mobile, she would rain her fists down in an attempt to break through the protective dome over the doctor. Eggman would shake her off each time, but not by his own skill- Her Riding skill was high enough to maintain her balance even on the most wobbling vehicle, but she had to keep in mind that people were still watching. More so, now that a large crowd seemed to be forming. The police and military had long since given up trying to take part in the battle, and were now on crowd control. The news crew had dared to come in closer to better cover the incident, with the reporter trying to remain relevant by narrating what was happening.

And Sonic loved every minute of it. Unlike Saber, he didn't bother to hold back what he could do. He zipped around Frankly with reckless abandon, occasionally holding still long enough for the robot to take aim, then miss by dodging at just the right moment. Even the sub-boss' lightning failed to strike its target; Sonic could tell just when the balls on its antenna would fire off sparks. Sometimes Frankly wouldn't' bother with the lighting, and try to either stomp on or punch Sonic directly. Naturally, he missed, and whenever Frankly bent down to punch Sonic, the Hedgehog would Homing Shot his head.

At one point, Frankly picked up one of the destroyed tanks and threw it at Sonic. He missed, but the military weapon crashed into the school building, destroying a lamp post in the process.

"Whoa!" Sonic cried, turning to look at the damage for moment. He activated his watch. "Tails! Are you okay?"

* * *

"I'm fine," Tails reported. He had been at another building when the tank collided. "But what was that noise?"

"_Eggman's robot just heaved a tank at the main part of the school,_" Sonic explained, "_Anyone hurt?_"

"I don't think so," Tails replied, "I found a few people trapped in wrecked classrooms, but I don't think anyone's in the front. Rin's taking some students out, but I haven't found Shirou, yet."

"_That dude can take care of himself. He's got this weird healing magic that lets him regrow his body, or something. Just focus on helping the ones that aren't wizards._"

"Got it." Tails hung up and saw another Motobug coming around the corner. It was destroyed in seconds, allowing a cute bunny to hop free of its metal prison. And as soon as the dust settled, another Egg Pawn appeared as well. That too was destroyed, freeing a little piggie. Tails began to notice that most of the Badniks he encountered were all going in the same direction, more or less. Curious, he began to wonder what exactly they were going towards.

The sound of a young girl shrieking broke into his thoughts. Tails quickly began to fly towards the source.

* * *

Shirou and Sakura were trapped. A wrong turn down a hall had led them to an unused room. And before they could backtrack, a group of Badniks had appeared; two Egg Pawns, a Crabmeat, and a Motobug. The robots marched towards the two teens, goofy but menacing.

Shirou gently pushed Sakura behind him. His mind whirled as he considered and dismissed options. He didn't any magic strong enough to destroy the robots, he knew that. Reinforcing his body or any tools he had wouldn't be sufficient, and while he had better luck Projecting weapons, he doubted a bow and arrow would have any effect on the Badniks; they were too close to aim properly. And while he would have liked to materialize swords (For some reason, the two wielded by Archer came to mind), he didn't think they would have much effect on robots. Shirou found himself thinking, _What would Sonic do? _and his mind went back to that first night, when he, Sonic, and Saber were talking. That night, in trying to impress the Hedgehog, he almost killed himself demonstrating his Magecraft. All of those swords bursting out of his body had made a poor first impression...

As the Badniks loomed, Shirou remembered what he said to Rin when the first robot attacked; If a machine's inner workings are disrupted, that device would malfunction.

An idea came to mind. It was risky, but he had to give Sakura a chance to escape.

"Sakura," Shirou said, bracing himself. "When I say so, run, all right?"

"What?" Sakura whispered, confused.

Without another word, Shirou threw himself at one of the Egg Pawns. He didn't bother Reinforcing his body, he would need all of his Prana and concentration to pull this off. The Egg Pawn flailed its arms awkwardly, having been caught off guard by this straightforward tactic. In that moment, Shirou put his plan into action. With his hand over the robot's chest, he created an image of a sword in his mind. He ignored the heat, the pain. With his will, he began to give it physical mass. It didn't matter what kind of sword it was. The history, the strength…none of that was required. What was needed at that moment was its placement. Shirou had to bring this sword into the world…inside the Egg Pawn!

The Egg Pawn began to shake as its structure was disrupted. Mass that was never there appeared, pushing gears and circuits out of alignment.

There was not supposed to be anything like that inside. That was the reality.

But the fundamental aspect of Magecraft was defying that reality. The stronger a Mage, the longer the world's order could be ignored. Shirou was not a particularly strong Mage, but he refused to accept that fact. Shirou wanted it to happen. He hoped it would be. He clung to the desired outcome. He would not let go!

BOOM! (Out came a birdie)

Inside the Badnik, reality and fantasy fought for dominance. The sword formed, breaking the machinery, just as Shirou assumed. He didn't expect the explosion, though. Burnt and cut by shrapnel, Shirou fell back. Sakura gasped. That was more than she believed her upperclassman was capable of. The remaining Badniks paused, trying to figure out what had happened.

Shirou gasped, trying to ignore the pain. He wondered how Sonic and Tails managed to avoid getting hurt from doing it. But now there was a gap in the enemy's lineup.

"Sakura, run!" He yelled, and jumped at the next Egg Pawn- and that's where everything went wrong.

While Dr. Eggman's robots were not bright, they didn't have short memories. The Egg Pawn didn't know how Shirou destroyed its fellow unit, but it wasn't going to give him a chance to do it again. It grabbed Shirou with one hand and held him away. It had a pretty strong grip for such a goofy design.

"_Shirou!_" Sakura shrieked. She was terrified. She was backed into a corner, literally. As the other two robots approached, a strange feeling began to build within her. It was almost like a hot vacuum being formed…

With Sakura fearing for their lives, Shirou wincing in pain, and the Badniks focused on their targets, no one saw Tails come around a corner. When the fox saw what was happening. Getting on the floor, he prepared a Spin Dash and shot forward, destroying first the Egg Pawn. Shirou fell to the floor, and in that time Tails spun out and smashed the Crabmeat and Motobug. From the debris came bunny, and two more piggies. As they scampered away, Tails went over and helped Shirou up.

"Are you okay?" Tails asked.

"I'm fine…" Shirou began, and they both heard a clunk. Turning, they saw that Sakura was now lying on the floor. Shirou inhaled quickly, and Tails hovered over the girl's body.

"She's still alive," The fox reported, "I think she just fainted."

Shirou bent down and carefully held Sakura up in his arms. It was probably a good thing she passed out. Doing Magecraft in front of her had been risky, and Tails appearing would undoubtably yield too many questions- questions that Shirou wasn't ready to answer. With luck, Sakura would probably write everything off as a dream, with the exception of the robots. No one would forget _them _anytime soon.

"We need to get out of here." The Master of Saber said, and saw Tails hovering up to his level. "Is Sonic here, too?"

Tails nodded. "Yup. Him and Saber are fighting Eggman right outside."

"What?!"

* * *

Eggman fired his giant boxing glove, and Saber jumped over it. Furious, Eggman hit the retract button, pulling the glove back towards the Egg Mobile before it could hit anything. He fired a second time, but Saber not dodged it, but did so without breaking her offensive against the Egg Mobile. Leaping up onto the craft, she slammed her fists against the dome a few times before being shaken off.

"Grr… Hold still!" He shouted, and aimed again.

Sonic meanwhile, continued his own fight against Frankly. After a few close calls dodging the robot's lighting blasts, the Hedgehog decided that a new tactic was in order. When Frankly threw a punch, Sonic ran up the robot's fist. Once on Frankly's shoulders, Sonic began to bounce between the antenna-spheres at high-speed. Within minutes the spheres exploded, causing Frankly to stumble.

Saber saw this out of the corner of her eye. A plan formed in her mind. While she felt she was getting closer to breaking through Eggman's defenses, she also knew that of the two Frankly was more dangerous. With that in mind, she knew what had to be done. Saber moved, and positioned herself so that she was between the Egg Mobile and the sub-boss. But that was not enough. Eggman's craft was above her, so his boxing glove was angled downward. Saber knew she had to fix that.

"_Mana Burst!_"

Saber's abilities went up in a flash, like a jet taking off. And her movements became like a jet as well, shooting towards the Egg Mobile. She rammed Eggman's craft, causing it fall back in the air. The boxing glove shot at the same time, but due to the change in the Egg Mobile's position was no longer aimed at the pavement.

BOOM! Headshot.

Frankly's head, now sporting a very large dent in its face, landed several feet behind the body. Said body began to shake, before exploding spectacularly. Sonic, having narrowly dodged the glove by leaping in the air, came down and Homing Shot the Egg Mobile. Eggman's craft had already been damaged somewhat by Saber's own assault (While she couldn't use her sword in public, Mana Bursting her arms had helped), and Sonic's attack was enough to finish the job. The parts of the Egg Mobile began to explode, causing the extra components to fall off.

Landing on the ground, Sonic gave Eggman a cheeky grin. "I believe this is the part where you say, 'Curses! Foiled again!' Or how about, 'I hate you Hedgehog'? I miss that."

Eggman shook his fist at the Blue Blur. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Sonic. This is only the beginning! I _will _get the other Emeralds, mark my words!"

The Egg Mobile turned around and flew off. Without the boxing glove to weigh it down, it was able to fly higher and more quickly. Police and military personal tried to shoot at him with their personal arms, but missed. As this happened, Sonic turned on wrist-comm.

"Tails, we just sent Eggman packing. How're things on your end?" He asked.

"_Great, Sonic! I think the school's been cleared out, and I found Shirou. We'll meet you guys at Rin's place! Tails out!_"

Sonic hung up and looked up at Saber. She had been looking out in the direction the Egg Mobile went. Judging from the way her fists were clenched, there was a nasty glare underneath that helmet.

"You okay?" He asked.

"…I hate fighting in such a roundabout manner." She said finally, "I would have preferred to use my sword."

"Then why didn't you?" He asked, and realized the answer. "Right, no one's supposed to know you're a magic ghost. We're gonna meet the others at Rin's house."

Sonic raced off. And after a moment, Saber fled as well. And although she kept her pace far beneath the level of velocity Sonic went at, it was still fast enough to put her out of sight from the approaching reporters and cops.

* * *

Although he had to keep his eyes on Avenger, Archer's senses were so honed that he was almost aware of everything around him. After hearing the explosions and the sound of jets roaring, he realized that the battle at the school had ended in Saber and Sonic's favor. All that was left was to finish his own duel with Avenger...

But the weird Servant no longer seemed interested in fighting. He continued to stare at the Counter Guardian, but no longer had an offensive stance. Instead, his head was cocked, as if contemplating something.

"…I get it." Avenger said.

"Get what?"

"Why my Master is so scare of me."

Archer was a bit confused by this odd topic, but didn't let his guard down. It might have been a ploy. "What do you mean?"

"Aside from when I was first summoned, my Master has never looked me in the eye," Avenger continued, "But you're Master does, doesn't she, 5th Archer?"

Archer didn't reply. Yes, Rin never failed to make eye-contact, but it was mostly to glare at him in a half-hearted attempt to appear superior. What was Avenger going on about? He was tempted to prepare an attack, but knew it would have been a waste of energy. Lackluster fighting style aside, Avenger was durable. None of Archer's more subtle attacks, did any lasting harm. He wanted to bring out a more powerful sword, but that would attract too much attention, especially now that Eggman and his robot were beaten.

"The reason Master doesn't want to look at me…" Avenger went on, "…Is because I'm not as handsome as you, or Saber's Master."

"…What?"

Avenger's body began to vibrate. The creature's skin was like the surface of a pond after a rock had been dropped into it. It rippled. Parts of his body began to shrink, while others grew. His head became less like a blob and more human.

Archer's eyes widened at the result. Standing right in front of him was a doppleganger of Shirou. His skin was a immensely dark color, and tribal tattoos were all over him. The red hair was now a coal black. It was as if Shirou had inexplicably gained a twin brother. An evil twin…

"Ahh!" Avenger sighed, flexing his new muscular arm. "This feels nice! No wonder guys like you are so cocky. With these muscles, I bet I could take on the world and win!" He looked away and chuckled. "Looks like things at the school are finally cooling down. Why don't we pick this up some other time?"

Avenger's body began to sink into its own shadow. Archer realized what was happening and sent his white sword into Overload. Another piece of the rooftop was destroyed, but to no avail. Archer could see a silouhette slinking away in the distance, moving almost tauntingly. Archer gritted his teeth. As if the mad scientist and his killer robots wasn't bad enough, but now _this _thing had appeared. The Holy War had barely started and it was already going to Hell in a handbasket.

Archer looked down at the school from his perch. Just as he thought, Eggman's robot was junk, and both the doctor, along with Saber and Sonic, were gone. While police kept the crowds from moving in, military personal did just did, acting as if their tanks weren't just destroyed. Archer realized that he'd better vanish too. No doubt some bright spark would notice the rooftop battle now that the distracting robots were gone. He went astral, hoping Rin was all right…

* * *

High in the sky, the Egg Mobile limped along. The damaged parts left small trails of smoke in its wake. In the cockpit, Eggman gritted his teeth in fury. How he _hated _that Hedgehog. No matter what it was, where it happened, the minute Sonic entered the game everything would go south.

"_Sir, you'll be happy to learn that you've made the top news story._" Orbot reported over the communicator. The screen showed footage of Frankly attacking the school, followed by a less-than-becoming shot of Eggman laughing like a loon. This image was accompanied by the headline, 'Madman attacks school!'.

"I got my butt kicked on television!" Eggman snarled, "How would _that _make me happy?"

"_Err…_" Orbot looked away for a moment before changing the subject. "_Shifting gears, our radar has begun picking up numerous energy signals all over the city and surrounding landscape. I'm feeding the information into your personal computer._"

A map appeared, and on it several dots appeared. In fact, a few were moving around.

"Wait a minute…" Eggman muttered, "That's too many! There should only be seven signals to track!"

"_Quite the conundrum, sir._"

"Hmm…" Eggman rubbed his chin in thought. He recalled the empowered helmeted girl who helped Sonic at the school. Could there be other people empowered by the Emeralds? "Send a few Egg Pods to the city. I'm having my remaining Badniks resume critter-capture and scouting missions. Also, set up another pad. We'll figure this out one way or another, and get the Chaos Emeralds.

"And this time- Yes, I know I've said it before- _This _time, Sonic, or any weird sidekick he meets, is not going to stop me!"

* * *

Tohsaka Mansion. It was dusk by the time Shirou, Rin, and their Servants got away from Homurahara Academy. They would have left sooner, but the military insisted on "interviewing" everyone who hadn't already fled the madness.

Rin had thrown herself into the arm chair that had once been used by her father, although Tokiomi usually looked far more composed whenever he sat in it. On the adjacent couch were team Saber. The red-haired Mage looked worriedly at his fellow Master, while the lady knight sitting at his side showed no emotions. Standing by was Archer, arms folded in a manner that was both relaxed and pure badass. Ordinarily, he would have remained in his astral mode, but felt that his physical presence was needed for two important reasons.

1) If he was astral, only Rin would hear his informative snarking.

2) being solid might keep their guests out of trouble.

Seated lazily on the floor was Sonic the Hedgehog, munching from a bag of chips. A blue pillow was all that came between spiny butt and expensive carpeting. In the air hovered Tails, kept aloft by his twin namesake appendages. Occasionally, Sonic would toss his little buddy a chip, which Tails caught in his mouth.

"That was the worse day ever." Rin moaned.

"Aw, it wasn't that bad." Sonic remarked casually.

Rin shot Sonic a dark look. "Oh? And how do _you _believe that?"

"Well," Sonic put his hands behind his head. "We trashed one of Eggman's robots, saved your school, and no one died," He popped a chip into his mouth. "Pretty good day, all told."

"Really."

Archer instantly realized Rin's subdued behavior was nothing more than the calm before the storm. Trying to appear calm, Archer casually shuffled behind the couched. along the way, he gently pulled Tails with him.

Sonic seemed to pick up on Rin's bad mood. "Something wrong, Rin?"

The flippant usage of her first name was the final straw. Rin shot to her feet, eyes blazing, and screamed, "OF COURSE SOMETHING'S WRONG!"

In a flash Sonic was on the couch's back, roughly between Saber and Shirou. He then zipped back to his pillow to retrieve his chips and returned to the couch. Similarly, Tails had gone from hovering to clinging to Archer's shoulder, looking like an fur wrap with sneakers.

"You went out in public!" Rin ranted, "Hundreds of people saw you! Including the news! What were you _thinking!?_"

Sonic ate a chip. "I was thinking, 'Oh no, the evil Dr. Eggman is going to destroy the school,' and 'Here I come to save the day'."

And you thought that justifies being so reckless!?"

As Mage and Hedgehog bantered, Shirou began to feel a little annoyed at Rin. Sure, Sonic's actions may not have been well thought-out, but he only did them because people's lives were in danger. As a would-be hero himself, he wanted to rise to Sonic's aid.

Saber must have thought similarly, for she said, "Given the circumstances, Rin, there was little else he could do. The situation was out of our hands."

"And _you!_" RIn pointed at Saber, "Why did you appear like that? Do you have any idea how risky that was?"

"I was hoping to lure Eggman away from the school with my aura," SAber explained, "But I did not expect him to call my bluff like that."

Judging from the face underneath her pigtails, Saber's reasoning did not please Rin. Shirou decided to intervene.

"Look, I know that today's been…exciting, Tohsaka-_san_, but I don't see what else could be done," The red-haired Master said, "Eggman forced our hand."

"Unless you think saving innocent lives is a bad thing." Sonic put in suddenly.

Rin's mouth opened, but no words came out. Shutting it, she paused for a moment, then tried to make her retort. Instead of the snappy disregard she wanted to make, silence followed. Eventually, she pressed the palm of her 'pointing dramatically' hand against her forehead.

"I…get what you guys are saying," She sighed, "But…gah! this is so frustrating. There hasn't been anything like this since the 4th War."

"What do you mean?" Asked Tails.

"The Caster team were a pair of psychopaths," Rin said bluntly, "They ignored the rules of the Holy War entirely and went on a killing spree." She stopped, her lips beginning to tremble.

_Did she lose someone to those people? _Shirou thought.

Regaining her composure, Rin continued. "Eventually, it got so bad that the Church overseer at the time declared a temporary ceasefire so the other Masters could work together to defeat Caster."

"Then, why don't we do the same?" Shirou asked, "Have Kotomine call a truce and join forces with the other Masters to fight Eggman?"

Although Shirou said it as if it was simple, Saber knew it would be anything but. She recalled that insane Caster, the bug-eyed madman Gilles de Rais. In his twisted obsession, he believed Saber to be Jeanne d'Arc. When Saber refused to enable the delusion, he summoned horrors to set upon the world. Terrible masses of tentacles and fangs, the stuff of ones deepest, most primal nightmares. And despite what Rin said, the Masters of that War did not come together so seamlessly.; Like proud Mages are wont to do, they continued to fight amongst themselves. It was only after Caster conjured his most fearsome beast, a gargantuan abomination that no gas leak could cover up, did a few Servants, including herself, band together to destroy the monster. From what she had seen of the current Masters through their Servants' actions, it would be the same.

And although they knew less of the Fourth Grail War than Saber did, both Rin and Archer seemed to share the lady knight's opinion on allying with the other Masters, if their expressions were any indication.

"I'll talk to Kotomine tomorrow morning," Rin said tiredly, "School's closed, so that'll give us some time to prepare for…everything.

"Let's just hope that the situation doesn't get worse…"

* * *

At Homurahara Academy, a clean-up operation of epic proportions was being implemented. As Construction workers stripped down what was left Frankly's body, others were scattered all over the courtyard, collecting debris that had been blown off when the robot exploded. Inside the school proper, soldiers patrolled the hallways, retrieving pieces of destroyed Badniks and making sure that there no more working models lurking in the shadows. Even in the dark of the night government trucks were being loaded, their cargo shipped to undisclosed locations for further study.

The only person not involved in the sweep was Stuart. Standing on the roof, he spoke into his phone.

"Yes, I understand. Try and keep today s events restricted to the country. To the region, if possible. Whatever's happening here must be bigger than any of us could have realized," Stuart said, "…No, I don t think the two are connected, He paused to listen. "Look, the creatures being sighted ten years ago looked more like starfish. Not spikey, furry people," He sighed, "Listen, Twice gave me footage of a foreign woman interacting with another of these things. Have Bazett McRemitz put under surveillance if possible. And Emiya Shirou, too. I don t know if it s a coincidence, but he might be involved in this as well.

"Kiritsugi's accomplice from ten years ago, the blond girl partnered with his wife, has returned to Japan."

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

_Tiger Dojo_

**Taiga: **You wanted it! You asked for it! You're getting it! It's the Tiger Dojo! With your _sensei_, Fujimura Taiga!

**Illya: **And the Number 1 student!

**Taiga: **This was such an eventful chapter! The Eggman has appeared! I was completely shocked! What a big mustache!

**Illya: **And what a big pain! But now _Onii-chan _can focus on the Holy War, and stuff! But Eggman might interfere with that, too. I hope he doesn't learn about the Grail, that's supposed to go to Einzbern family.

**Taiga: **And now, for our Q/A! Our first question comes from Thunder-dragon. Actually, he had a lot of them, but they all amount to this; "Which version of Sonic is this?"

**Illya: **Version? I don't get it.

**Taiga: **Sonic has been adapted many times, into comics, shows, and even other types of video games. In this story, the Sonic appearing in Fuyuki is the one from the games, where continuity does not matter as much as it does in Fate. Although, I would not be surprised if elements from the other adaptions might show up.

**Illya: **Like that guy, Stuart? He's from the Sonic X anime, right?

**Taiga: **Not quite. The Stuart that appears in this story is _based _on the one from the anime. More like, he's the Stuart as if he was born in the Fate universe. Mmm, a Stuart-_san _of my very own…

**Illya: **Ugh, the Tiger's on the prowl…

**Taiga: **Don't call me Tiger! _(Hits Illya)_

**Illya: **Ouch!

**Taiga: **Also, we at Tiger Dojo have been receiving many requests for different Sonic characters to appear in the story, as well for different plot elements to be included. To that, the author has announced that all the Sonic characters that will appear in the story were already aboard the _Egg Saucer_ when it transported to Fuyuki. Furthermore, he has already prepared an overview of how the story shall play out. If anyone has successfully guessed what will happen, congratulations! And that is all the time we have left!

**Illya: **Thank you for reading! Write reviews and keep favoriting us! Good bye!


	5. The Supernatural

Chapter 5: _The SuperNatural_

Homurahara Academy was closed. While that would normally be the case at night, circumstances had increased the duration of its down-time. Thanks to the damage caused by Eggman's attack, its doors would not be opening for a week, at least- possibly longer, depending on how much time would be needed for the investigation. Even after clearing out the robot parts, officials still wanted to examine the area, in hopes of finding the mysterious prize Eggman coveted.

They weren't the only ones.

With only the moon and stars for light, Knuckles prowled about. He had seen the news report on Eggman and Sonic's battle, and decided to investigate the school. While he was pleased to see that one of his friends was doing well, the Echidna was curious if there really was a Chaos Emerald around. Ducking under the police taped that blocked all possible entrances, he entered the high school. He was pleased to see that not only was Sonic doing all right, but had also made a friend, of sorts. He could only hope that Tails and Amy had similar luck. He really didn't want them to fall into the clutches of some villain. Whoever the Bug Queen was, she was clearly a step up from Rin and Archer. More importantly, Knuckles was curious about Eggman's intentions.

_From what I saw, Eggman came here because there might be a Chaos Emerald,_ Knuckles thought, _If there is, then we'll be one step closer to getting home…!_

As he walked through the empty school halls, Knuckles tried to extend his senses. Years of guarding the Master Emerald on Angel Island had given Knuckles an innate knack for sensing the power of the giant jewel, and its servants, the seven Chaos Emerald. However, this knack was limited to detecting the Emeralds if they were near. Once once close enough, he was forced to pinpoint their location by means of the 'warmer-colder' method, with no real indication which way to go.

…!

Knuckles suddenly felt a chill go up his spine. It didn't feel like a Chaos Emerald. The pulse of the Emeralds was more like a tingle of static electricity. This, on the other hand…Knuckles could only compare it to a spider, a hairy tarantula, crawling up the back of his neck. There was no way it could be an Emerald. But there was also no way he could ignore it. Good or bad, he was going to check it out…!

* * *

Rider wasn't sure what she was going to find at the school. She really didn't.

After Shinji fled the school during Eggman's invasion, he eventually calmed down and ordered Rider to go back and take a look around. His logic was that Saber's Master, Emiya Shirou, had been awfully quick to explain why the mad doctor and his robots attacked Homurahara Academy. The explanation (As devised by Shinji) was that Shirou clearly wanted Shinji and Rider to get away from the school so he could look for this "Chaos Emerald" himself. After all, since Shirou rejected Shinji's offer to join forces, they weren't allies, but enemies that the Master of Saber wanted an advantage over. Rider, personally, thought that this train of thought didn't run on straight tracks, but did not resist the order to search the school. She knew that if she gave Shinji any lip _now_, he would definitely take it out on Sakura. And that poor girl was only starting to recover...

Rider sensed someone approaching and hid herself. The figure that appeared in the hall brought up bad memories. Despite being blinded, Rider's other senses were so well-honed that even without her sight, she could still discern the shapes of those around her. This meant that she could count Knuckles quills as they hung down his head, and figure out the size of his sneakers as they clopped on the floor.

_Another one!_ She thought bitterly. She still felt the embarrassment from having lost to Sonic the other day. No doubt that this new spirit animal and Sonic were connected…another familiar controlled by Emiya Shirou, possibly.

Safe on the ceiling, Rider was out of Knuckles' sight and could 'observe' him at her leisure. She watched as he forced a window open. With his fist. Even though there was a door right next to it.

_Did he have to _break _it?_ Rider thought, wincing at the sound of glass shattering. She considered her next option. Judging from the direction Knuckles was walking in, the Echidna was heading towards one of the sigils she had placed in preparation for Blood Fort Andromeda. She recalled how close Shirou had been to one- the exact one Knuckles was heading for. She realized that despite Shinji's low opinion on Emiya's intelligence, the Master of Saber must have been smarter than that. Sending a familiar to investigate the place showed good strategic foresight- if Knuckles indeed belonged to Shirou. After a moment's consideration, she disregarded that notion; She didn't sense any Mana in the Echidna that linked him to Shirou. In retrospect, he was probably like one of those Nekos that ran the cafe Shinji took his 'girl club' to a few nights ago.

Which meant that the unsteady truce Shinji proposed did not apply. After all, she needed to replenish her Mana _somehow…_

* * *

Knuckles didn't know what to make of the weird circle in the ground. He didn't know what it was, where it came from, or why it seemed to be glowing. All he could say for certain that it was the _creepiest_ thing he had even seen. For some reason it reminded him of the _faux-_Master Emerald Shrine he had seen in the Space Colony ARK's central core, juuust before the hideous Ultimate Lifeform Prototype materialized and tried to kill him.

In any case, the creepy vibe he was getting from the circle had distracted him from his Emerald hunt. While a part of him really, really, _really _wanted to know more about it, Knuckles knew he had to get back on the search. Besides, with his luck, the darn thing would probably summon ghosts, or whatever-

_Sshhh_

A metal spike attached to a chain shot out from nowhere. Knuckles jumped aside, just narrowly dodging it. The instant he landed, the chain retracted as a second spike/chain combo was launched, forcing Knuckles to dodge again. This went on from several seconds, and it took only have that time for Knuckles to get angry. Not only was he being attacked, but his attacker didn't even have the chops to come out from the shadows!

_When I get ahold of that jerk… _Knuckles thought, and in doing so came up with an idea. When the next chain shot his way, the Echidna didn't move. Instead, hereached out and _grabbed _the links! He felt his hidden assailant try to pull the chain back, and held his ground.

Rider was a bit surprised that her target stronger than he looked, but in his actions, Knuckles was leaving himself open- and she had another chain, ready to throw. And as she prepared to unleash it, something unexpected happened.

Knuckles _pulled._ _Hard._

Rider found herself being yanked off of her feet and flying forward the Echidna. She quickly let go of the links, but it was too late. Her momentum carried her. But Knuckles wasn't going to just wait for her to come. The minute he saw someone coming, he ran. A spiked fist slammed into Rider's chest, sending her flying.

"A woman, huh?" Knuckles thought aloud. Her curvaceous figure reminded him of Rouge the Bat. "It's always a woman…"

Rider landed on her feet, but almost fell to her knees. It was all she could do not to cough up blood. Forcing herself up, she did her best to glare at Knuckles through her blindfold.

But Knuckles was done waiting. He built his speed up with a Spin Dash before charging at Rider. The purple-haired Servant jumped aside, and heard the crashes as Knuckles' rushing form collided with a tree, followed by the tree falling over. Getting up, Knuckles barely had time to adjust before Rider lunged at him, chains and spikes ready. Knuckles delivered a powerful uppercut, which Rider blocked. However, she could feel the force through her links, and found herself, for the umpteenth time;

_Why do I have to have someone like _Shinji _for a Master?_

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait! Rider's Master is _Shinji?_"

That intelligent question was asked by Rin. The topic of the 'team meeting' had shifted from pondering strategies against Eggman's forces when Shirou revealed the identity of another Master- or so he thought. Rin was skeptical, of course, for a number of reasons. Off to the side, Tails, fiddling with the Miles Electric, and Sonic, lying lazily on the couch, looked up with interest.

"Shinji told me so himself, and Rider followed his orders." Shirou explained, and further elaborated his encounter with his blue-haired classmate. Though he kept it to himself, Archer was pleased. At least _that _piece of the history he remembered was unaltered. Saber, on the other hand, wasn't. A third Servant had been at the school, and she hadn't even noticed. If Rider hand't been controlled by Shinji, there was no telling what she would have done to Shirou.

"I can't believe it…" Rin murmured, more to herself.

"Why? You and Shirou are Mages, aren't you?" Tails asked, "What's wrong with one more 10th grade wizard?"

"But Shinji isn't _supposed _to be a Mage," Rin said, "The Matou were once a clan of prominent Mages, yeah, but now…"

"They aren't 'prominent' now?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's right," Rin said, "Somewhere along the line, their lineage's magical potential began to diminish. Each generation yielded weaker Mages. From what I understand, Shinji wasn't supposed to have any Magecraft ability at _all._"

"If it's that important, why doesn't Shirou ask Shinji about it?" Tails considered, "After all, if you guys are friends…"

"I'll try, if I can, but I'm not sure if I'll get a straight answer," Shirou replied, "As for us being friends…we used to be that way, but there's so much distance now, I have no idea what he's thinking."

"What I want to know if Rider will really keep her hands to herself," Sonic put in, "You told me when we first met that Servants attacked other people to recharge themselves if their Masters couldn't do it for them."

"And if Shinji's power is that poor, than Rider may continue her illicit activities," Saber said, "Unless he has used a Command Seal to bind her movements."

"And that's even if we can trust Shinji to do that at all," Rin put in, "We're lucky he was stupid enough to come out in the open, but I don't think we should take what he says at face value. For now, let's still assume he and Rider are enemies and keep an eye on them."

Shirou fidgeted uncomfortably. He didn't like where this talk was going. True, Shinji had a somewhat difficult personality, and the two of them had had something of a falling out, but Shirou still wanted to give his friend the benefit of the doubt. Then again, after finding out that Rin was a Mage, he was starting to wonder just how much he knew about anything.

"So, whaddya think about this shrine-samurai Shinji mentioned?" Sonic asked, "Sound legit?"

Rin hummed. "That, actually, sounds plausible. The Ryuudou Shrine is built on several intersecting leylines. A good place for a Mage to restore their Prana."

"According to Issei- another friend of mine," Shirou told Sonic and Tails, "Most of the monks have left, save for Kazuki-_sensei _and his fiancee."

"_Sensei_'s getting married?" Rin asked, surprised. "Right now?"

"Don't worry, Rin, you'll find someone someday, you're still young," Sonic said jokingly, "After all, it's not a race."

"That's not it, you blue _baka_!" Rin snarled, her cheeks turning red, "I mean, it's a weird coincidence it's happening around the Holy Grail War."

"This bride may in fact be another Master." Saber suggested thoughtfully.

"That's just what I was thinking," Rin agreed, "With some hypnosis, it'd be easy for a Mage to convince a normal person that they're engaged. And since Kazuki_-sensei_ is such a mysterious person, anyone could pop up and claim to be an old friend or part of an arranged marriage. The real question is whether or not the samurai is a Servant."

"We should investigate the area," Archer said, "See if there's a Boundary Field surrounding the temple, and scout out the samurai."

"I think I can help with that," Tails said, screwing the cover of the Miles Electric closed. "I just expanded the range of the ME's energy tracker by combining it with its GPS. If I did my calculations right, then we should be able to check locate abnormal power sources all over the city."

Tails placed the Miles Electric on the coffee table, and everyone gathered around. While most of the group watched the screen light up with interest, only Rin's expression remained dubious. She still didn't want to believe that a machine could detect Prana, and had been hoping that Archer's theory had been wrong. A grid appeared, and a large circle appeared in the center.

"All right, that's where we are," Tails explained for the audience. "Now, if I widen the scope…"

The map zoomed out, showing a map of the city. In different areas, other dots appeared.

"What are those? Chaos Emeralds? Servants?" Shirou asked.

"If you used your head, you'd realize that they're too wide to be either of them. Those are probably the Boundary Fields created by Mages to protect their homes," Archer said, and pointed at one glowing dot. "Judging from the position, I'd say that's the Matou Manor, where Shinji lives."

Tails pushed a few buttons and a list of numbers appeared. They did not appear comprehensible to any of the Masters or Servants.

"Hmm, not bad. It's higher than any of the other signals," Tails commented, and glanced at Rin. "But, I thought you said the Matous couldn't do magic."

"Shinji shouldn't be, but there's one other Matou who could make a Boundary Field," Rin said, as a pain appeared in her heart. "…Shinji's grandfather, the current clan head, Matou Zouken."

She grimaced as she thought about the shriveled old man. Looking at him, it was easy to mistake the old miser for a mummy…one that had come to life and sought vengeance. She had only seen him once, as a little girl. The day when…

Rin shook off that thought. She couldn't afford to be distracted by bad memories now. "If that's the Matou place, than this part…" She tapped the screen, causing a smudge. "…must be the church."

"Churches are magic?" Sonic asked.

"They are when their head priest can do Magecraft," Saber said, "Masters taking part, as well as those that have lost their Servants, may go to the church for aid or council. A proper Boundary Field is necessary to ensure their protection."

"Okay…" Tails entered a few more commands, and the map's focus shifted towards another source-point. "Any idea what this is?"

"That's the Ryuudou Temple," Archer said, "Judging from the readings, I'd say that a Master is using it as their base."

"Tails, widen the view, would ya?" Sonic asked. After Tails complied, he nodded. "Okay, anybody got a cell phone?"

Rin frowned, and then walked off. A minute later, she returned, holding a small, stylish cell phone. "Here," Off of Shirou's look, she explained, "It was a gift from Kotomine. I don't use it very much. It's not like I need it."

As one, everyone else thought, "Translation: I can't get it to do what I want." Rather than voicing that very accurate opinion, Sonic flipped the phone open and turned it on. After a minute, he smiled.

"Nice, it's got a camera, and plenty of space in the card," Sonic said, and stuffed the phone into his glove. "Be back in ten."

"What?" Was all Rin managed to say before Sonic vanished in a rush of movement. They heard the slam of a door shutting. Rin looked back and forth between the empty space and the direction of the shut door with a thunderstruck look on her face.

"Nice of him to close the door on his way out." Archer. said, smirking. His words were supposed to have the dual effect of both lightening the mood and further annoying Rin.

He succeeded in the latter. "Arrgh!" Rin shouted, almost tugging out her pigtails. "What does he think he's _doing!?_"

"Off hand, I'd say he's going to check out the Temple," Tails said, and shut off the Miles Electric. It'll be a few minutes until he gets back," He looked at Shirou. "Wanna help me with the _Tornado_? Archer brought back more scrap!"

"Sure, I'd love to." Shirou said, starting to feel excited. Ever since Sonic told him about it, Shirou had wanted to get a look at the bi-plane from another world. He wondered what would happened if he did a Structural Analysis…

"It's a bit more advanced than kitchen sinks or room heaters," Archer said, moving. "With your clumsy hands, the damage might get worse."

"Get bent." Shirou retorted, as the two of them followed Tails out of the room.

"H-hey! Hold on! I never said…" Rin looked to Saber, trying really hard not to look as helpless as she felt. "What are you doing? Go after Sonic! Stop him before he shows himself again!"

"Rin, I know his attitude is a bit aggravating, but I don't believe he's completely foolhardy," The blond Servant said, pausing to eat a chip. "So far, Sonic has only revealed himself to those whose lives were in jeopardy. And with his speed, chasing after him would be a waste of effort. At this point, we can only have faith that he will not endanger himself."

Rin stared, a mixture of rage and confusion rolling inside of her. When she and Emiya agreed to join forces, she did not believe for an instant that it would be an equal partnership. While she claimed that Shirou had as much say in their battle strategy, the truth was that Rin hoped everything they did would be as she saw fit. Emiya, in her eyes, was an unskilled, talentless Master who's only purpose was to keep Saber on the field to aid Archer. While she kinda-sorta-maybe-like-liked him as a person, she knew that deep down personal ties and social obligations were secondary to her duty as the Tohsaka Master to claim the Holy Grail.

But ever since Sonic and Tails showed up, everything had fallen apart. Sonic was not only as idiotic as Shirou, but seemed to be purposely enabling that moronic hero complex her red-haired classmate carried. And with his gadgets, Tails had provided a very definite means of tracking other Masters and Servants, even those who could hide their presence with their Magecraft. Since all illusions focused on disrupting and misleading a living creature's senses, a machine could easily bypass those shadows and see what was truly there. But as a Mage, Rin knew that Magecraft wasn't a tool- it was a way of life that she had to adhere to. But right now it appeared that, thanks to these tools brought in by the outsiders, one could achieve victory without Magecraft. And that, she realized as she thought on the matter, was the source of her anger.

The idea that all of her training, everything she had been raised to believe in and depend on, had been meaningless.

* * *

At Homurahara Academy, Knuckles and Rider had reached an impasse. Rider, with her agility, should have had the advantage. Even if bound to an utter weakling like Shinji, her abilities were far beyond that of a normal human. Even the most athletic mortal would be nothing to her abilities.

But the same could be said for Knuckles. His punches were strong enough to smash Eggman's robots to pieces, and could only be stopped by the thickest of walls. And Rider's agility was of little help. Knuckles was only somewhat slower than Sonic the Hedgehog, the fastest thing in the universe. And after numerous brawls with the Blue Blur, his reflexes, honed by a solitary practice of the martial arts, were good enough to keep up with Rider's attacks. Ultimately, this meant that while Rider couldn't land a direct hit on Knuckles, the reverse was true as well.

Up until Knuckles lost his temper. "Would you _hold still!?_" He roared, and rushed at Rider. The Servant easily dodged him, and prepared another of her chains. She watched as Knuckles raced into the bushes, slamming into a tree. Before she could throw another spike at the Echidna, a cracking was heard. The tree then fell over, in a manner that would make Paul Bunyan proud. But before it could hit the ground, it stopped.

"Taaake this!" Knuckles yelled, and let the lumber fly.

_Of course he can throw the trees. _Rider thought irritably as she jumped to avoid concussion by tree-trunk. As the wood sailed under her, Rider heard a loud crash, and remembered that her back had been to the school. No doubt whoever was in charge of repairs would be flabbergasted to find an uprooted tree where the back door used to be.

Landing on the ground, Rider noticed two things. One was that Knuckles was no longer in the bushes, or anywhere else on the property that she could sense. The second was that that there was something moving around underneath the ground. Rider put one and two together and got…

POW!

A blow to the jaw as Knuckles erupted from beneath the soil, delivering an uppercut. Once again, Rider found herself flying backwards as a direct result of meeting this force head-on. As she recovered and righted herself, she decided a change of tactics was in order. While she didn't want to flee from yet another battle, a retreat was clearly in order. She had searched the entire school before Knuckles had arrived, and found nothing that matched the description of the object Eggman sought. Furthermore, if this fight went on, it might attract the attention of another Servant. Rider couldn't afford to fight another Servant right now, not during a fight like this. She felt her tummy ache and once again wondered if Knuckles (And Sonic, for that matter) were truly familiars or animal spirits. She had never encountered any of either type that were so strong in her lifetime…

Rider felt the presence of another Servant and realized that such theories were for less violent settings. She leapt away, making fast progress from the school. She needed a less turbulent way to recharge, and knew of a nightclub where the patrons left…off-guard.

"Yeah, you better run!" Knuckles shouted, shaking his trademark 'Fist of Rage' at Rider's retreating back. As she disappeared into the dark distance, he turned back to the school. "Now, where was I…?"

Knuckles went back into the building, climbing back through the window he broke. Pausing, the red Echidna looked out and around, as if he didn't trust the back yard with his own back. Then, he turned and resumed his search of the school.

Caster, dressed in her fine robes, stepped out from the shadows, gracefully ominous as ever. She was a bit sorry that Knuckles couldn't have finished Rider off. she even came all this way to provide some subtle aid. It would have been a relief to have one less enemy in the War, especially after the scare she received that afternoon. Scrying the Academy, the witch had gotten the worst scare of her life when Dr. Eggman's giant robot began taking potshots at the building. Seeing the first robot attack the night before was an entirely different matter; Back then, it was Saber and Archer's problem. This time, however, her own Master had been in danger, and finding the appropriate time to teleport him off of the property without arousing suspicion was nerve-wracking. Of course, that meant that she and Souchirou-_sama _had a few extra hours of 'alone time', which _almost _made up for it…

Caster fought off the blush forming as she looked at the circle Knuckles and Shirou had found. Judging from its Prana, it had been placed there by Rider. An alert spell? No, there was something more ominous about it than that. No doubt it was just the first step in an stronger spell…a piece of Rider's Noble Phantasm, perhaps?

Whatever it was, there was no point in letting it be. Caster destroyed the sigil with barely a word. She decided to look around the school, to see if Rider had planted more magic circles. If she had, they too would have to be destroyed. She had invested far too much time and effort in this War to be outdone, especially by a Servant with such an idiotic Master.

As she floated around, she wondered what other surprises the War had to offer.

* * *

It was another boring, uneventful night for Asassin. The day had been amusing, at least. While his post at the temple gate didn't have a TV, he could still hear the explosions of Eggman's attack with his honed senses. And he had to admit, the sound of Caster's terrified shrieks, while damaging to his eardrums, had caused him to laugh out loud.

Speaking of eardrums, they were now picking up another, far less painful sound. Like hundreds of footsteps. Sensing trouble, Asassin reached for his sword, but did not draw it. He could see a figure at the bottom of the stairway, but only had a measly second to comprehend that before the figure was at the temple gate.

_That's fast. _Asassin thought, and recognized the creature standing in front of him as one of the two who had fought against Eggman's robot. Issei had filled him in on the entire fiasco when he returned from school. He could only presume that this was one Knuckles' missing friends.

"Hi, I'm with the board of tourism," Sonic said, casually twirling the cell phone in his hands. "Just need to ask a few questions, won't take long."

"And what do you need to know?" Asassin asked, curious. This wasn't what he had been expecting.

"First of all, are you a magic ghost?"

"What an odd term," Asassin replied, cocking his head thoughtfully. "If you want to be technical, than yes, I suppose I am." Being a spirit summoned by Magecraft with superhuman abilities was probably what he meant, right?

Sonic nodded. "Cool, cool. Next question- wait, hold on. I'm gonna need your name and occupation for the report."

Asassin bowed his head respectively. "I am Sasaki Kojirou, also known as the Servant Asassin."

Sonic's left eyebrow shot up. That was too easy. He reached into his glove and pulled out a scrap of paper and a pen. He began to write on it. "Sasaki….Ko…ji…"

"If you're writing that in English, then the personal name is spelled with an 'ou'." Asassin put in helpfully.

Sonic gave the Servant a dry look. "I think I've signed enough autographs to know how 'Kojirou' is supposed to be spelled," One he finished, he looked intently at Asassin. "So, moving on, do you, or any member of your household, go out and attack innocent people?"

Asassin shook his head. "Not I. Due to the nature of my summons, I'm an incomplete Servant who cannot leave the strong leylines of the Ryuudou Temple. As such, my Master has me act as a guard dog, bound to keep people from entering or leaving the Temple at her will."

"Jeez, that must stink," Sonic rolled his eyes sympathetically, "Glad I'm not in your shoes."

"Your sympathy is touching."

"So, speaking of your boss, what's she like?" Sonic asked walking up to casually nudge Asassin in the legs. "Just between us guys."

"Oh, she's a very powerful sorceress," Asassin replied, "I can't say I'm fond of her personality, though. She's far too bossy, if you ask me."

"Yeah, I know the type." Sonic said, rolling his eyes.

* * *

Rin sneezed. Rubbing her nose, she wondered if someone was talking about her. If they were, they weren't saying kind things, judging from the slight headache that was forming.

Of course, any mage would get a headache if they were in Rin's position. Bearing witness to her home, an ancestral source of Magecraft, becoming a glorified pit station went against everything Rin had been raised to believe in. But, in spite of her very vocal and consistently ignored complaints, both her Servant, her ally in the War, and the _kitsune _that should have been the source of a thaumaturgical breakthrough continued to tinker with the machine in her backyard. Work was slow, because it was the middle of the night. Tails, Shirou, and Archer worked by improvised spotlights fashioned from lamps powered by extension cords. But in spite of the difficulty, Shirou seemed to be having the time of his life. Rin had never seen such a energetic expression on his face before.

_He really is a failure of a Mage, _The Tohsaka Master thought bitterly, _Getting so happy to play with a machine. Anyone can do that._

_Are you jealous, Rin? _Archer asked telepathically. There was a certain smugness to his thoughts.

_No! _

_Weren't you eager to impress Shirou with your superior Magecraft? _Archer continued tauntingly, _Isn't that why you wanted to ally with him?_

_**Shut up!**_

Completely and blissfully ignorant of the telepathic exchange, Shirou held up a piece of the bi-plane's left wing as Tails used a portable welder to patch back onto the _Tornado _proper. To keep it steady, Shirou had to reinforce his arms. The heat from both his Mage Circuits and Tails' soldering caused a slight sweat to form.

"Annnnnd…done!" Tails said, turning off the welder. "All we need to do is let it cool. Hold on a for a second, Shirou."

Tails went around to the _Tornado_ and opened a compartment on the side. He pulled out what looked like a futuristic snowboard. Shirou could see that it had vents on the sides, as well as some sort of port on one end. It was hard to make out the exact details in the dark, but it seemed to have a blue color scheme. Tails propped the board under the wing.

"Okay, you can let go," The fox said,"This will have to do for now, until the wing cools off."

Shirou released the wing, and his Reinforcement. As relief flooded into his arms, he glanced down at the thing Tails retrieved.

Tails' smile dropped when he noticed the redness in Shirou's cheeks. "Are you okay, Shirou? Did holding the wing hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine," Shirou half-lied, "I used my Magecraft to steady it. More importantly, what's that thing you pulled out?" He pointed at the board. "It looks a bit expensive for a prop."

"Oh, that?" Tails shrugged, "I'll get something else to hold it all up. Give me a minute."

"But, what is it?" Shirou asked.

"Oh, it's an Extreme Gear," Tails replied. At Shirou's blank look, he said. "Hmm, maybe your dimension calls them something else. Basically, it's a personal propulsion device that utilizes momentum to ride air currents."

Shirou stared as he mentally translated Tails' words. "It's a board that can fly?" It sounded crazy, impossible…but so was everything else that had happened in the past few days.

Tails nodded. "You got it!"

"Hold it," That was Rin, walking up to them. She had been listening in by Reinforcing her ears, and had heard quite enough. "There is no way you're telling the truth now. You're suggesting that metal _thing-_" She pointed at the Extreme Gear. "-can fly?"

Tails didn't pick up on the passive-aggressive tone in Rin's voice. Instead, he nodded cheerily. "Sure! Here, let me show you."

Tails ran back to the _Tornado _and pulled out a second Extreme Gear from the compartment, this one orange. The little fox then flew up towards the roof of the Tohsaka Mansion.

"I'll need a good point to build up my speed!" Tails explained from above, "Okay, here I go!"

Tails leapt off of the roof, and went down. He put his feet on the board's top side and flipped on a switch. Going down, the Masters and Servants could hear a faint noise like a jet turning on. When Tails' descent reached the ground, there was a roar and suddenly the fox went from falling to gliding, racing around the grounds, several feet above the grass.

"He's…he's really flying…" Shirou said.

"At this point, nothing these guys do will surprise me." Archer commented, "I wonder how hard using that could be…"

Saber, who had remained silent during this period, suddenly spoke a single word. "Dibs."

The men looked at the stoic Servant with a little shock. Meanwhile, Rin, unable to take her eyes off of the fox, fumed slightly. Once again, Magecraft was being outdone. While she was glad that Tails didn't hurt himself, that wasn't enough to bury the resentment building inside of her.

"Hmph. It's not like he's doing that under his own power," The pigtailed Mage grumbled, walking back into the mansion. "All the work is being done by that metal plank."

_Jealously doesn't become you, _Archer chided. When he didn't get a response, he began to get worried.

Then suddenly Rin burst out from the door. Running into the yard, she dashed over to where Tails was and _yanked _him off of his Extreme Gear. Without a rider, the board began to lose control, flying off into the air. It soon lost momentum, and but almost hit the _Tornado_. Saber, acting quickly, caught the Extreme Gear before that could happen. Meanwhile, Rin dragged Tails back inside.

"_What the Hell is that thing?!_" Her voice exploded from within the walls.

Concerned, Shirou went in to see what was the matter. Archer and Saber followed, also curious. They soon found out what had Rin in such a fury; Against the wall in another room, a large machine had been built. It looked a great deal like a laundry washing machine, the kind with a window. Only this one had numerous additional tubes, panels, wires and other doodads sticking out of it. Standing in front of it, holding Tails by the cuff, Rin pointed a finger that appeared itching to unleash some offensive Magecraft.

"It's a Power Ring Synthesizer," Tails answered. His voice sounded a bit forced, no doubt due to Rin's grip. "I built it using the parts Archer brought back. Can you put me down?"

Rather than letting go of the fox, Rin lowered her index finger. Somewhat. "Synthesizer? What's that mean?"

"Sonic and I only have less than ten Rings between the two of us," Tails explained, "And we'll need more if we're going to fight Eggman and the other Servants."

"And you're latest toy is going to fix that?" Archer asked, and gently pulled the fox out of Rin's grip.

Tails nodded, both as confirmation and thanks.

"But that's impossible," Rin argued, "There's no way a machine can create Magecraft. Magecraft can only be done by living creatures- and unless you've somehow imprisoned the soul of a demon are whatever in that hunk of junk, I can't see it happening."

Tails chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess it does sound pretty wild when you hear about it for the first time. Let me explain. Sonic's Uncle Chuck discovered that the Power Rings were naturally formed by a phenomenon called…"

As Tails went into his lecture, Rin's normally honor-student level ability to receive and retain information suddenly stalled, resulting in her mind hearing this;

"…_blah blah blah sciency-stuff, yadda-yadda, jargon, latin word, obscure vowel, I think you're super lame because you can't understand this blathering. _Therefore, he theorized that it could be possible to duplicate this effect by utilizing _et cetera, et cetera, big words, mathematics, also, your butt is way too big for a girl your age and you'll never get married, and more technobabble. _Understand?" Tails asked once he finished.

Rin's left eye was twitching. Her cheeks had a red tinge that was somewhere between anger and embarrassment. Putting on a shaky smile, the schoolgirl said, "O-of course I did! It couldn't be simpler!" She laughed, sounding more like a runaway from the padded room than a proud Mage.

"Good, explain it to me." Archer deadpanned. He got a red-hot glare in response.

Tails didn't see the red flag. "That's good. It's not often I get to finish an explanation. Usually, whenever I try to describe this stuff to Sonic or one of the guys back home, they just say things like, 'Never mind, I'll take your word for it'," Tails glanced at Shirou. "How about you, Shirou? Do you have any questions?"

Looking even more awkward than his fellow mage, Shirou rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Umm…I'm sorry, Tails, but I think your science is too advanced for normal humans."

"That's because you're an idiot!" Rin suddenly shouted, and stepped in front of Shirou so her back was to Tails. She began to speak in a fast and frantic manner. "Something that's been bothering me is the fact that you suck at Magecraft! If you're going to be any use in our alliance…"

And on she went. As Rin ragged and lectured Shirou, Tails looked up at Archer, concerned.

"Boy, she sure shifted gears fast," The fox remarked. "Is something the matter?"

"Oh, nothing you need to be worried about." Archer replied, thinking. In his own timeline, he was the one who went to Rin for help with magecraft. But now, because of the influence of Sonic and Tails, Rin's sense of self-worth was being challenged. They're own abilities were proving to be far more useful in the War than her own skills. In order to regain her standing in Shirou's eyes as a useful ally, she forced herself into the role of a teacher.

Meanwhile, Saber stepped up to the Ring Synthesizer and examined it. She would never fully understand magic, or technology, that she knew. But she knew enough about either subject that there was no such thing as a free ride; Merlin had made it clear that no matter what method you used, there had to be a tradeoff.

"Tails," She began, looking at the fox. "Are the Rings created by this technology identical to the ones you and Sonic brought from your world?"

Tails hummed, and stroked his left tail. "Well, there are a few key differences. Unlike naturally-occuring Rings, the ones made by the Synthesizer are less stable."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you take a hit and drop your Rings, the Synthesized ones won't take a few seconds to vanish. They'll disappear immediately." Tails explained.

Saber rubbed her chin in thought. To herself more than anyone, she said, "So, the recreations are inferior to the real thing…"

"True," Archer put in, "But even a weak copy can be useful, depending on how it's used."

Saber regarded Archer. She wondered if there was some hidden meaning to his words. And there was something else. According to Shirou, Archer's stats were, well, terrible. Yet his skill was so great that he could even briefly fight equally with not just Lancer, but her as well. Yet his insistence on pragmatic but unquestionable unchivilrous methods reminded her too much of Kiritsugu.

_Who are you, Archer?_ the lady knight thought. Before she could say anything, a beeping was heard.

Tails turned on his communicator. "Sonic?"

"_Hey, just want you guys to know I've gotten a good look at that samurai,_" Sonic's said through the speaker. "_He says he's a Servant, an Asassin named Sasaki Kojirou._"

Archer raised an eyebrow. _So, that part of history remains untouched. _He wasn't surprised that Asassin had given his name (Although Saber clearly was). The Asassin he remembered had been a very upfront and courteous person…a true samurai.

* * *

"_He just gave you his identity?_" Saber asked.

"Yeah, even let me take a few pics," Sonic replied, running along the night street.

"_Did you get actually get a look at the Master?_" A new voice- Archer's- asked.

"Nah, according to Samurai Sam, his boss went out for the night," Sonic said. He paused to grab a lamp post and swing around a corner. "I couldn't get in myself, he wouldn't let me. Dude's crazy fast with the sword. Plus, I think there's some kinda forcefield around the mountain. Since he says he could't leave the temple, I got bored and left."

It was Tails' turn to talk. "_What are you gonna do now?_"

"I'm gonna give the city another run around, see if I can find Knuckles or Amy," Sonic replied, "Then I think I'll just head back to Shirou's and-" A scream reached his ears. "-Hold on, something just came up."

Sonic jumped, bounced off of a building wall, and rushed off towards the source of the scream.

* * *

Lancer looked around, an annoyed frown on his face. "Again"

Before him was a young woman, possibly the age of a college student. Shaking, she took a deep breath and screamed. Her voice was trembling, as would anyone who had a red spear pointed at their chest.

Lancer glanced at his surroundings, a sense of impatience starting to worm its way into his head. Then something even worse appeared in his head- His Master's words.

_What are you doing? _Kotomine asked. Even as a mental projection, his voice sounded aggravated.

_You wanted me to catch speedy spirit, right? _Lancer retorted, _Well, this should bring him out. Guy likes to play hero._

The lady suddenly stopped screaming, and began to cough. Rolling his eyes, Lancer passed her a bottle of water for her to drink. A bit confused, the girl took a long sip. She began to inch away, but Lancer just put his spear forward another inch. Resigned, she began to scream again.

_You're just going to attract unwanted attention, _Kotomine argued, _Enter your astral form and search the city, before another Servant finds you._

_Hey, if you've got a problem with how I do things, why don't you use a Command Seal and make me change tactics? _Lancer shot back, _Otherwise…_

"_You _again?"

Lancer turned away from the woman and his expression turned eager. Standing right before him was Sonic the Hedgehog.

_See? Told you so. _Lancer gloated. He felt a sense of exasperation from his Master, and his satisfaction increased.

"Oh, wow!" The woman cried happily, "It's the Blue Tanuki!"

Sonic gave her a look as Lancer laughed. "Tanuki? I'm a Hedgehog. Check the quills."

She nodded, and began to look between Sonic and Lancer in trepidation.

Lancer shrugged. "All right, you can go. Try to stay out of trouble, gorgeous."

A bit put off, the lady began to back away, before breaking off into a run.

"So, the damsel in distress was just bait to lure me out," Sonic noted, rolling his eyes. "Gosh, like I haven't seen that a hundred times before."

Lancer took a fighting stance. "Yeah, well, it was better than looking for you. We've got a duel to finish."

"Finish?" Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Dude, I _won _that fight. Or did you lose your memory along with your hearing?"

Lancer growled, "In this War, the fight's never over until someone _dies!_"

Lancer lunged at Sonic. Sonic zipped out of the way, but had no time to relax. As before, Lancer's assault was relentless, perhaps even more so this time. Using his spear as a pole, Lancer vaulted from where his blow missed and launched himself at the Hedgehog in a flying kick. As he soared, he repositioned his spear so that it was pointing at Sonic. Sonic jumped up in the air to dodge it. At first Lancer thought the fight was won- Sonic had essentially made himself an easy target in the air. Then Sonic did a Homing Shot, hitting Lancer in the shoulder.

This attack was far different from the other times Sonic hit Lancer. Before, those were just simple punches and kicks, albeit done at super-speed. This time, Sonic's entire body was spinning. It was spinning at such a speed that whatever it hit would grind away. What hit Lancer was the same force that shattered so many of Eggman's robots. Being a Servant, even one bound to an inferior Master, he wasn't going to fall to pieces just from that. Still, it _hurt._

"Arrgh!" Lancer shouted in pain.

Sonic landed a few feet away and crouched, ready to move at a given notice. His first thought was that Lancer would be upset to have gotten a serious wound, but then he saw that instead of the angry frown that should have been there, the spearman's face had an eager smile growing. Sonic felt a shiver up his spine.

Sonic thought, _I hit him with enough force to shred a robot to pieces, and he's smiling! Does he like getting hurt, or was the Sonic Spin not enough? I'm starting to wish I had some backup, like Saber, Knuckles…heck, I'll even take Amy!_

* * *

"Wah-choo!" Amy sneezed.

"Bless you." Bazett said.

"Thanks."

In the solitude of the Fuyuki night, the two of them walked the streets. Where, neither of them knew. Emotions were mixed that day. They had seen the newscast on Eggman's attack on the city, and Amy had wanted to go out there and save the day. Bazett, however, had adamantly refused to let her out of their hotel room. As an Enforcer of the Mage's Association, she wasn't about to let an animal spirit go about in public, especially to an area that was being televised. The problem solved itself…by creating an entirely new set of problems for Bazett. Sonic's showboating was something she had been forewarned about from Amy, but the masked warrior who accompanied him had taken Bazett by surprise. She could only assume that it was a Servant. No Mage worth their circuits would go out in public like that. From what Lord El-Melloi II had told her, his own Servant during the Fourth had acted very reckless with his own identity, even going as far as to do home shopping in his true name. The Servant that fought against Eggman with Sonic must have been of a similar nature- Chivalrous to the point of stupidity.

"Someone must be talking or thinking about me," Amy remarked, and her eyes began to sparkle. "Ooh! Maybe it's Sonic, missing my company!"

Bazett chuckled wearily. Amy was certainly dedicated to Sonic. She wondered what it was like to be so in love…or obsessed. She glanced at a street sign to confirm that they were going in the right direction.

Although their initial strategy was to go and scope out the Fuyuki Church, that changed with Eggman's attack. While Bazett wasn't sure if there really was a Chaos Emerald at the school, but she couldn't let a powerful artifact lying out for anyone to stumble onto. Amy agreed with this, as she felt one of her missing friends would be there as well.

"It'll probably be Knuckles," The pink hedgehog said, "If there's any treasure-hunting to be done, he's the one to do it."

"Let's hope he hasn't found anything yet," Bazett put in, "It'll be easy to keep a lid on things if we can keep at least _one _of your friends supervised…" She heard a sound like glass breaking. "What was that?"

Amy pointed. "Over there!"

No more than a block away, large figures could be seen breaking into a street side shop. And thanks to the working street lights, it was easy to see that they were some Egg Pawns, three of them to be precise. Two seemed to be holding something, but it was hard to tell exactly what from the distance.

"Those Badniks are robbing that store!" Amy declared, and whipped out her hammer. "Let's get 'em!"

Before Bazett could stop her, Amy charged at the robots. Briefly impressed at how quick Amy was in spite of her smaller legs, Bazett knew that she couldn't let this go on. Luckily, no one was watching, but there was no point taking chances. Taking a moment to cast a Boundary Field, Bazett strengthened her legs and shot after Amy. She was past the pink Hedgehog in a second and at the store in even less time. Swinging her legs, she kicked on Egg Pawn, sending it flying into a another building, whereupon it exploded spectacularly. Another Egg Pawn dropped its load and advanced on Bazett, only to receive a punch that sent it flying into the street. It also exploded. The third looked about in confusion, as if weighing its options, when Amy suddenly jumped down onto it and crushed it with her hammer. The robot exploded, and a bright green birdie flew out from the wreckage.

"Nice going!" Amy gave Bazett a thumbs up. "You took down two of them! Pretty good, for a rookie!"

Bazett smirked. If only Amy knew that as an enforcer of the Mage's Association, she had fought far more dangerous things than these machines. She doubted her fellow Enforcers would have faired as well; Most relied on their spells to directly attack or misdirect their targets. Bazett, on the other hand, preferred to enhance herself with runes. It was an tactic that caught most conventional mages off-guard.

Speaking of getting caught, Bazett took stock of the place the Badniks had attacked. For some reason, they had targeted a pet store. Several cages had been knocked over. The floor was littered with confused cats and dogs that were barking and hissing frantically, trying to make sense of what had happened.

"Why here, of all places?" Bazett said, "I don't sense anything like those jewels you described."

Amy frowned. "That creep Eggman likes to catch critters and stuff them inside his robots. He was probably planning to do the same to these little guys."

Bazett's mind was instantly bombarded by an image of a cute little bunny. That bunny was picked up by a claw very like the kind found in claw prize grabbers, and held over another Egg Pawn, with its head flipped up like the lid of a garbage can. The bunny was dropped into the robot, whose eyes began to glow. It was so nonsensical to imagine that the Irish woman suddenly developed a migraine just thinking about it. If Amy was talking about a Mage, maybe she could wrap her head around the idea. Using living creatures as a source of power or something to modify was something the more…the less moral mages did.

Amy seemed to sense Bazett's confusion, for she added, "Hey, you don't need to tell me that's weird and horrible. But, you know, 'mad scientist', right?"

"Yes, that would explain a lot…without actually explaining anything," Bazett said, "I think that after getting Lancer back, we should focus our efforts on dealing with Eggman."

"Duh!" Amy nodded, "Maybe you can figure out where he's hiding by looking into a crystal ball."

Bazett resisted the urge to sigh. The sheer sincerity of Amy's statement only made it more annoying. Her new friend seemed to have a very romanticized idea of just how Magecraft worked. Perhaps it would be that easy for the mages of Amy's world. From what she had described, people with special powers were commonplace…or, more likely, Amy just lived in an area where such people were commonplace.

Before the Enforcer could explain that her own divination skills were not strong enough to find Eggman as easy as snapping her fingers, she stopped. It was Bazett's turn to see something unusual.

Amy noticed Bazett's silence. "What's wrong? Do you see more Badniks?"

Bazett pointed up. On top of a building, she could something large, and golden. Whatever it was, it was spinning and sparkling in the starlight and moonlight.

Amy looked where Bazett was pointing. While she couldn't make her eyes stronger with magic like the Irish woman, her own night vision wasn't bad. She could see it too- and she knew what it was.

"Oh my gosh, it's a Special Zone entrance!" Amy was positively squealing with delight. She grabbed Bazett's arm. "Quick, we have to get up there! Before it disappears!"

Still a bit confused, Bazett decided not to question it by now. Activating her runes, she took hold of Amy and leapt up to the roof. Once there, she got a better look at this so-called "Special Zone".

It was gigantic ring, the diameter of its hole easily the size of her total height. As it spun in the air, Bazett realized that she couldn't actually see through the hole- within what should have been empty space were shifting colors.

"Amy, what did you say that was?" Bazett asked, putting up her guard.

"It's a Special Zone!" Amy explained eagerly, "It's kinda like a private universe where Chaos Emeralds hide in. Oh! And we can get some Rings, too! Let's go!"

Amy ran in, and Bazett was forced to chase after her. As the two jumped into the Ring's hole, neither noticed the creeping shadow close behind…

* * *

There were colors _everywhere_.

A barrage of rainbows, twisted into shapes and shades the likes of which she had never assault Bazett's eyes. She was tumbling down a void, but not necessarily down. Gravity and direction had no meaning in this place. Eventually, she hit a wall. Thankfully, the wall's color scheme, while also shifting, was a bit duller than the rest of the…Special Zone's, making it a little easier to see. Before she could get her bearings, Bazett felt the wall tilt. It soon became a floor for her to stand on, before becoming an opposing wall. She fell against a similarly moving platform. The entire place was spinning!

"Don't touch any bright red spots!" Amy called out, from far away. She was jumping from place to place, trying to keep her footing. "And be sure to grab some Rings if you can!"

There _were _Rings. Smaller, much smaller than the one the two entered to reach this place. They were floating in the air, almost taunting Bazett with their defiance of gravity.

Refusing to let herself be tossed around, Bazett caught herself as she fell against the next platform in a perfect handstand. With her Rune-enforcements and combat training, she was able to easily keep up with Amy as the two navigated this strange, multicolored labyrinth.

_This world…where could it have come from?_ Bazett thought, _These places seem commonplace in Amy's world, but this is the first I've seen of them here,_ A thought occurred. _Did the appearance of Amy and her friends in our world create these…Special Zones? _Not for the first time, Bazett wished she could consult the great Wizard Marshal, Zelretch. As a master of the fabled Second Magic, he would surely be able to answer her questions…sadly, Zelretch would also just as well refuse to help for his own amusement. In fact, it wouldn't surprise her if Zelretch had a hand in these strange events…

Eventually, Amy and Bazett found their way to the center of the Special Zone. And in that center was a giant mass of transparent rocks, like glass, only harder. Within that floating pile was a jewel, glowing an alluring purple light. Even from that distance, Bazett could sense an unbelievable power.

"Amy!" Bazett yelled, hopping from one wall to another. She pointed at the jewel. "Is that the Chaos Emerald?"

"Yes!" Amy called back. The platform she was on tilted, but rather than jump, Amy dropped down and landed on the giant rock pile. Bazett didn't realize that the pink hedgehog had gotten over it. "We need to break through this stuff and get the Emerald!"

Easier said than done. As did everything else in the Special Zone, the Chaos Emerald's hiding place spun erratically. It was almost impossible to continually chip away at a given point for long- The Zone would rotate everything so that one of the ladies would fall away, and be forced to jump back on. Compounding on the problem was that those red spots Amy had mentioned earlier seemed to be in large amounts around the Chaos Emerald. Bazett nearly fell one onto more than once. The fourth time, she had to split her legs to catch herself against parallel walls, and wait until the Special Zone rotated the red spots away from her. Falling once more towards the crystalline container, Bazett happened onto an idea. She smashed her fist into the rock, but didn't make a very large hole. Then, after switching arms, she hung onto that hole while using her good fist to continue pounding away at the rest of the crystals. As the Special Zone spun around, Bazett clung onto the rocks so as not to lose her place.

Amy saw what Bazett was doing, and nodded, impressed. "Good idea, Bazett! You're almost there!"

That gave Bazett an idea. "Amy! Try get on the other side of this rock, across from where I am!"

Though a bit confused, Amy nodded and began to jump around. As she did, Bazett began to strengthen her preferred arm. While a part of her was concerned that doing this would shatter the Emerald, the part that was _really _fed up with the Special Zone had a much stronger voice.

With a mighty cry, Bazett slammed her fist against the crystals. The sheer force of her punch traveled through the stones, shattering them. It soon reached the Chaos Emerald, and began to push it, until it crashed right through the other side. The Emerald flew out into the air. Amy yelled, "I got it!" and dove at the falling jewel. Time itself seemed to slow down as the paths of Chaos Emerald and Amy Rose appeared to intersect. And when the purple jewel reached her hands, Amy blinked…

And it was _gone._

"What?!" Amy cried, falling. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something black, but before she could get a better look, her tumbling body hit a red spot…

* * *

Amy and Bazett were back on the street. Amy was on her knees, staring at her hands. Bazett stood over her, trying to comprehend what had happened.

"I…I don't get it," Amy said, confused. "It was right in front of me. Where…"

There came a thud. The girls looked. They looked up. Standing at the top of street light was a young man…or something that appeared to be. It looked like a young man with dark, grey skin covered in tribal tattoos. But something in Bazett's bones told her that looks were deceiving. And in this case, they weren't doing a very good job. The sheer force of its dark, unnatural presence hit Bazett's senses like a bullet train.

"So, this is a Chaos Emerald," Avenger said, holding up the gem. His eyes seemed to absorb its light. "Bit smaller than I expected…"

"Hey!" Amy yelled, running up to the street light. She pointed at Avenger. "That's our Emerald, we saw it first!"

Avenger looked down at Amy, a unsettling expression on his face. It was the kind a man would give a bug that just started talking like a human. 'Who knew such an insignificant thing could be so eloquent?' Bazett quickly activated her runes, preparing for trouble.

"…My friends and I need that Emerald to get back home," Amy continued to talk, "So, I would really appreciate it if you'd give it back," She whipped out her hammer. "Or else!"

Avenger smirked, which was the most terrifying thing in the night. He held up the Emerald, and then…

He ate it!

Avenger's mouth stretch open, as if it was made of rubber, and he forced the Emerald in. While a cartoon character doing that would appear adorable, the sight of it in real life was nothing short of disturbing. Both Amy and the normally desensitized Bazett found themselves frozen with both shock and disgust at what Avenger was doing. They saw a very large lump appear in Avenger's neck as he swallowed, only to vanish as the jewel went down his throat.

And then something far worse happened.

Avenger's skin began to boil. It was as if his entire body was made of water, and it had been sitting on the stove long enough to reach optimal temperature. He buckled down, clearly in pain. And hundreds of kilometers away, so did a high school girl with purple hair.

"_RAAAUUGGGHHH!_" Avenger howled, and like a fish leaping out of a pond, something- three somethings- exploded from his back.

Three blobs landed on the pavement. They began take on a more detailed form, something resembling mutant, purple starfish, with a hideous large eye in the center of their backs.

"Hah…hah…hah…not bad," Avenger heaved, a look of sadistic ecstasy on his face. "No wonder the old man wanted one… With power like that, we wouldn't even need the Holy Grail!"

Amy gagged as the starfish-things stood up. "Ugh! What _are _those things?! And what the heck are _you!?_"

But Avenger didn't answer. He was staring at his creations. "One…two…three…hmm. That's all I can bring out, even with this, huh? Ah, well…" Looking back at the ladies, he smiled evilly. "How would you girls like to play a game? It'll be loads of fun!"

"What kind of game?" Bazett asked, getting in front of Amy. She took a fighting stance, trying to prepare herself for whatever new surprise that was about to be revealed.

"It's kinda like hide-and-seek," Avenger went on, and waved at the starfish. "And you two are it! And since I'm such a nice guy, you don't have to count."

The starfish began to leap away, each going in a different direction. They made odd slurping noises as they moved. It sounded like that each motion they made was also them attempting to drink the air.

"There's no time limit," Avenger went on, "The game goes on until you find all three. Of course, my little babies might get hungry…and they _love _the taste of human flesh!"

Laughing, Avenger morphed into a shadow and slithered down the street light, before vanishing into the night.

"Hey, get back here!" Yelled Amy, giving chase.

"Forget him!" Bazett ordered, and charged at one of the starfish. "We need to destroy these things before they hurt someone!"

Moving faster than Amy had ever seen a human move, Bazett became a not-so-blue blur as she slammed her fist into the starfish. The force of the punch created a trench in the street, and when the dust cleared, the starfish was a messy pile of dark goo.

_Yikes, _Amy thought as she ran after another starfish, _I better make sure I don't get into an argument with her!_

Hammer raised, Amy lunged at the second starfish with intent to make an ugly pancake. She slammed her hammer down, but partially missed. Her blow only struck one of the creature's legs, flattening it instantly. The thing writhed in pain for only a moment, before the broken limb fell off, and a new appendage grew in its place. Only this second leg looked like something that belonged to a kraken.

"Gah!" Amy shrieked, and slammed her hammer down again. She wasn't fast enough, and the abomination was able to zip away from her weapon. Amy chased after it, but the horror was faster now, and quickly zipped up the side of a building. Panicking, Amy ran up to a fire hydrant and swung her hammer. The hydrant went flying, and managed to slam into the creature, knocking off of the building. Amy charged, and once close enough brought her hammer down on the beast several times. She didn't stop until the horror was a gooey black paste.

"Yuck," Amy gagged, and scrapped her hammer against the sidewalk to wipe the gunk off. "Okay, that's two down, where's the third…?" She looked around and saw that she was the only one on the street. "Bazett?" She heard a crash in the distant. "There she is!"

* * *

The fight between Sonic and Lancer had reached a stalemate, not that either one was willing to admit it. Although Sonic was far faster and more willing to use unorthodox tactics (Like causing a fire hydrant to explode in Lancer's face), Lancer was almost as fast, had magic abilities, and a long spear. And then there was that really awkward incident when Lancer sent him flying into that apartment window…

_Sonic crashed through the glass, and the second thing he heard besides the tinkling was a woman screaming. Looking up, he saw that he was now in someone's bedroom. A mature and attractive woman was desperately shaking the prone form of a young man, who simply snored off her actions._

_"KOUTA!" She shrieked, "There's a tanuki in our bedroom, wake up!"_

_Sonic plucked a piece of glass out of his fur and scooped his Rings back up. "No, there's not. You're having a bad dream," Sonic turned towards the window before turning back. "Also, I'm a hedgehog, not a tanuki," He turned back towards the window, then glanced over his shoulder. "If you wake up and the window's still broken, just go see the priest at the local church. I think he's good for it."_

Sonic was pretty sure that Shirou said something the guy at the church (What was his name, kotofin or something?) would take care of any damage caused in the War. That probably meant he could pay for broken stuff thanks to a budget he got from whatever secret organization that was in charge of that sort of thing.

Sonic bounced off of the walls, swung around street signs and lights, keeping one step ahead of Lancer and taking a shot of his own whenever a chance arose. Such openings didn't appear easily. Lancer had evidently learned from their first fight. He wasn't letting up and giving Sonic a chance to move in for another hit. This didn't mean the spearman didn't slip up and make mistakes of his own, it just meant Sonic had to be _really _observant and quick to take advantage of them. The first wasn't something he was known for, but the second came as a natural as breathing. A favorite tactic Sonic had discovered was standing against a wall, allow Lancer to charge at him, before dodging at the last minute and hitting the Servant with a Homing Shot. The precious half-second Lancer had his spear stuck in a building was plenty for Sonic to chip at the Heroic Spirit's hit points.

_Weird how Masters can see a Servant's stats, _Sonic thought, thinking back to what Shirou and Saber told him their first night together. He shot back to avoid Lancer's retaliation. _Makes you wonder if whoever started these stupid Wars was a D&amp;D nerd…_

As Sonic prepared to run off and put a bit more distance between himself and Lancer, he stopped. This caused Lancer to stop as well, wondering if this hesitation was part of some new plan.

"What's that?" Sonic asked, pointing past Lancer.

Lancer's brain stalled, and when it reignited, he just shook his head sadly. In spite of Sonic's taunts and tricks, he had grown to respect the Hedgehog somewhat. All of that respect was now gone.

"Are you really going to try _that _gag?" Lancer asked, his tone dripping with disappointment. "I mean, that was old even during my human years. I-"

That was as far as Lancer got before a horrible, starfish-thing-with tentacles tackled him and latched onto his face. The Heroic Spirit fell to the ground, rolling and writhing as he tried to pull it off.

"-AUUUUGGGHHGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFIT'SINMYMOOUUUTH-!"

Sonic blinked. As warped and disturbing the scene before him technically was, he had actually seen far creepier things during his adventures, including but not limited to the Dark-Gaia monsters that appeared when Eggman split open his planet. In fact, the _Aliens _shout-out taking place didn't even make the top-ten. The idea that whatever was attacking Lancer came from another Servant came to mind, so Sonic decided to invoke a tactical retreat.

"Y'know what, you're probably busy right now," Sonic said cheerfully, and began to walk off. "Let's finish this some other time."

Sonic zipped off. Three seconds later, he came back, and took a picture of Lancer's pain with the cell phone. And _then _he ran off. A minute later, Lancer managed to rip the abomination away from his face and throw it onto the pavement. Before it could crawl away, he stabbed the _Gae Bolg _into it several times, before stomping on it's remains for good measure. Once he was done, Lancer spat onto the ground.

"Gah, I'll be tasting that for a week!" Lancer moaned, wiping the beast's residue from his face. His eyes shot open with realization. "Dammit, he's gone!"

Lancer ran off in the direction he thought Sonic went in. It wasn't, and Sonic managed to return to the Emiya Estate in the hopes that a late-night game of _Aero the Acro-Bat _would undo the sight of a little sea monster trying to make out with Lancer. Moments passed, and the street was quiet again…except for the creature's remains, which made odd squelching sounds as it tried to reassert it's life and mobility.

Bazett soon appeared, having followed after the creature. It hadn't been easy, but the sound of someone screaming helped her find it. She was surprised to see that the last of the abominations had been wounded, and a quick usage of Magecraft ensured its death.

Amy came along shortly afterward. "Bazett, did you find it?"

"Yes," Bazett replied, gesturing towards the smoldering ashes. "What was left of it, at least."

"What do you- Whoa! What happened here?" Amy cried, having finally taken stock of her surroundings. A fire hydrant and a newsstand had been knocked over. The area looked like a small war had broken out.

"I think there were Servants battling here," Bazett answered, "I can sense traces of Magecraft."

"A Servant?" Amy looked thoughtful, "You mean, like Lancer?"

"It could have been Lancer…or it could have been any other Servant," Bazett muttered, "In any case, I think the creature that person conjured up is similar to a Servant."

"Huh?"

"A Servant can only exist in the world due to the Mana they receive from their Master," Bazett explained, "The same principal exists for other types of summons. I believe that creature came here to find a source of Mana to sustain itself."

"You mean it was going to _eat _someone? Gross!" Amy shuddered at the thought, then looked thoughtful. "Hold on, was that creepy Emerald thief…was _he _a Servant?"

"Possibly…" What Bazett didn't say was that the man who took the purple gem and conjured had a fouler Mana than the one she felt when she summoned Lancer. Servants summoned by the Grail came from the Throne of Heroes; how could a being with such a terrible presence end up there? And from what part of history did his legend spring forth?

Strange animal spirits from another world. A madman with an army of destructive robots. Servants appearing in public. And now this. By that point, all Bazett could ask was, "What next?"

* * *

High up on a tall building, Avenger looked down on the city of Fuyuki. He saw it all. The Servant Rider, stalking victims, but taking care not to be seen. The Servant Lancer, fruitlessly searching for his Hedgehog nemesis. The Servant Saber, accompanying her own Master back to their abode, where the blue Hedgehog waited. And among them, thousands of normal people, only vaguely aware of the danger they were all in.

In another timeline, they would have all been targets, potential victims to be consumed. But not here. Not now.

He felt the Chaos Emerald inside his body, it's power seeping into every atom of his being. It wouldn't be long. A few days, a week, perhaps? And then, he would have what he needed.

And his wish would be granted.

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

_Tiger Dojo_

**Taiga: **You asked for it! You wanted it! You deserve it! It's the Tiger Dojo! I am your instructor, Fujimura Taiga!

**Illya: **And the Number One Student, Illya, is here as well!

**Taiga: **The first of the seven Chaos Emeralds has been found! Unfortunately, it's now in the hands of that lunatic, Avenger.

**Illya: **You'd think an Enforcer for the Mage's Association would have better luck securing a powerful artifact, wouldn't you? What a disappointment?

**Taiga: **But there is plenty of time for her to redeem herself. After all, they don't let weak-willed people into that Association.

**Illya: **They let Rin's ancestors, didn't they?

**Taiga: **Don't be mean! Anyway, we've got a Q/A to start! Read the first question!

**Illya: **Tang-Chan asks, "Where are the Chaos Emeralds?" Hey, I thought we said no more spoiler-y questions!

**Taiga: **We're not going to change that policy, no matter how cute your name is! However, I will keep track of the Emerald locations we have confirmed so far;

The yellow Chaos Emerald is underneath Shirou's shed. Nobody's claimed it yet.

The purple Chaos Emerald is now _inside _of Avenger. Yuck!

**Illya: **Speaking of Avenger, we have a question about him from Chuckie, "How did Avenger summon those starfish things? That's not a power he had in the original visual novel". Oh, Chuck, you dumb, dumb, guy.

**Taiga: **The Avenger we're seeing now is actually the Shadow from the _Heaven's Feel_ route, with _Hollow Ataraxia_'s personality. In the _Heaven's Feel_, that Shadow could recreate evil versions of the Servants it absorbed throughout that route. The creatures Avenger created in this story are actually by-products of something that was already absorbed by its previous form…but that's a story for another day. One last question!

**Illya: **"Due to Shirou absorbing some of the yellow chaos emerald's power, have his magic circuits been upgraded, healed, powered up, ect? Signed, Anomynous." Finally, a non-stupid question. When _Onii-chan_ used Projection near the Emerald, he did take in some of its power. But I wouldn't say that he's been powered up, or anything. Because of his lousy skills, _Onii-chan_'s have actually gotten worse! Of course, that might change once Rin gives him a proper lesson in Magecraft. Though, if he wanted to learn from an _expert_, he'd ditch her and come to me.

**Taiga: **Also, a special announcement! The author has created an opening sequence for this story! It's posted on Youtube, under the title _Fate/Genesis OP (Fanmade)! _Be sure to check it out!

**Illya: **The sound isn't very good, but if you can do better, give it a try!

**Taiga: **Until then, we will see you at the next practice!


	6. Winter Trees in the Distant View

Chapter 6: _Winter Trees in the Distant View_

_Illyaseviel von Einsern stood before us. With a lady-like grace she never showed before, and without a trace of irony, she bowed. She took the edges of her dress and curtsied, speaking in a very refined tone._

_"Thank you very much, Shirou," She said, "For granting your protection to me, who was your enemy. I sincerely appreciate it."_

_Rin, Saber, and I stared at Illya, trying to match up this polite young lady to the tiny psychopath we were fighting before. It was only yesterday that the white-haired child was chortling over our inevitable and entirely messy deaths. _

_I knew that Rin didn't really like it. And that Saber, while she had said nothing and appeared neutral, was of a similar mind. But I knew that nothing they would say would make me change my mind._

_"Yeah, no problem. Since Illya is not a Master anymore," I said, "Kiritsugu would have wanted it this way." I found myself thinking of the man who once saved me. And I think I can imagine his happiness at having rescued me. As Illya relaxed, I continued, this time to Rin and Saber. "Besides, Illya is not a bad person. And…I can't just abandon a child."_

_Illya's eyes brightened. She began to laugh. And then, she threw herself at me. I was unprepared for this sudden assault, and couldn't stop her from wrapping her arms around my body._

_"Shirou is truly my _Onii-chan!_" She squealed, burying her head into my chest._

And then Rin woke up. She rubbed her forehead in thought. That dream had been too realistic. But why did she have it? Was it a warning her subconscious was trying to send her way? A glimpse of the future, perhaps. It certainly seemed that way. Even though none of the Tohsakas had shown any degree of precognitive ability, stranger things were happening now, ever since Sonic and his friends came to town. Or perhaps more likely, that little brat Illya was trying to weaken Rin with a psychic assault. She would have to redo the Boundary Field surrounding the mansion, if that was the case.

After all, even a careless pushover like Emiya wouldn't be dumb enough to invite Illya into his house.

She lurched downstairs and into the kitchen, where Archer was already making breakfast. At least there was one thing she could depend on in this screwy War. After drinking some milk directly from the carton, Rin noticed that Tails was seated at the table, fiddling with that damned Miles Electric.

"Good morning, Rin." Tails greeted, a bit hesitantly. While Archer had assured him that it was a normal thing, the sight of Rin's imitation of the walking dead still left him a bit uncertain. He hoped he would get used to it.

Sighing, Rin composed herself and replied, "Good morning, Tails." Even though she hated what their presence has turned the Holy War into, Rin still had a duty to present herself as a proper Mage. Besides, if she let on how much they annoyed her, Sonic and Tails would probably cause even more shenanigans. Well, Sonic would. Tails, she had to admit, was a fluffy little gentleman.

Archer placed a dish before her. "For the lady, breakfast."

Archer, on the other hand, was not. Dependable he was, chivalrous he wasn't. If he was acting like a French waiter, something was up. Before she could interrogate her Servant properly, Tails spoke up again.

"You're up a little early, aren't you, Rin?" the fox asked, "I mean, school's closed, isn't it? I'd thought you'd sleep in a little."

"I can't," Rin said, "I need to see that Fake Priest and have him call the ceasefire so we can focus on Eggman. And I have a few other errands to run. If I'm going to win this War, I need to make every minute count."

"Oh. That makes sense," Tails conceded, then blinked thoughtfully. "Um, don't you mean, 'if _we're _going to win'?"

"Of course, how foolish of me." Rin sighed, rubbing her forehead. She was tempted to explain the fact that only one Master could claim the Holy Grail, and that her alliance with Shirou was just a matter of convenience, but thought better of it. She didn't want to get into a lecture now. She would need all of her strength just talking to Kotomine.

Tails seemed to accept this answer, for he changed subjects. "Well, I've got some good news; The _Tornado _is all fixed! I did a systems check earlier and it all clears."

"Everything's done?" Archer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup! I hooked it up to some solar panels this morning." Tails answered.

"Solar panels?" It was Rin's turn to ask questions. Although still a bit resentful of how cooler his machines were compared to her Magecraft, Rin was starting to develop a curiosity about them. Helping Shirou improve his own lackluster abilities helped take the edge off.

"The _Tornado_'s got a hybrid engine," Tails explained, "Whenever we're not flying it, we just hook them up to some panels for a few hours. It's both cheap _and _pro-Earth. Gotta go green!"

Rin was actually impressed. She was a bit afraid Tails would turn out to be a miniature mad scientist in his own right, mindlessly unleashing crazy machines without a care for what kind of damage they would do to the environment. The little fox was more caring than she had figured.

"I've been charging them every day since I landed here, and it should be finished by the time you get back." Tails finished.

"So, what do you plan on doing until we get back?" Rin asked, finishing her meal.

Tails scratched the back of his head. "I think I'm going to take it easy for today. The last two days have been pretty nuts, and I need some down time. You won't mind if I just laze around here, right?"

"Just don't leave the house," Rin told him, getting up. "I'm not expecting company, but be on the alert. The less anyone sees of you, the better."

"Okay, got it," Tails said, waving. "Have fun!"

_Fun, yeah, _Rin thought as Archer did the dishes. _I have to talk the Fake Priest into doing the smart thing while preparing myself for a war against a maniac with an army of robots. _

Soon, both Master and Servant were gone, leaving Tails alone. Tails decided he wanted to relax outside, and so went to the mansion library for some reading material. The shelves of books were meticulously ordered, with books on Magecraft kept separate from the regular fiction. Tails had already been forewarned by Archer to stay away, so he began to look over the mundane tales in hopes of finding one to his liking. At the bottom shelf, he noticed that at the far end of a case was an unmarked smaller book, covered in a decent amount of dust. Taking it and cleaning it off, he read the one word on the cover.

_Sakura_

* * *

Sonic woke up in the late morning. Annoyingly, the image of that…starfish latching onto Lancer's face didn't leave his thoughts as he slept. Probably because he had no idea what the thing was. A fragment of another Master of Servant's power, maybe? In any case, Sonic needed to get his mind off of the creature, and quick.

_Maybe Shirou or Saber could help with that._ Sonic thought, and headed towards the dining area.

The room was empty, and Sonic's first thought was that Shirou had gone to school, with Saber following. This was disregarded when he recalled how the high school had been closed due to the damage caused by Eggman's robots. Sonic briefly checked the kitchen for a note, but his search was distracted the muffled sound of a body falling. Sonic zipped outside and towards the training hall. There, he found Shirou, sprawled out on the ground with Saber standing over him. She held a kendo stick in her hands.

"When in battle, the question you need to ask yourself is, 'Is the opening real? Or is it a bluff?'" She was saying to her Master.

Shirou groaned, pulling himself up. "R-right," He saw Sonic standing at the entrance and waved shakily. "Good morning, Sonic."

"Yo." Sonic waved back, somewhat confused. Still, it didn't look like either of them were in danger or having a falling out.

Shirou resumed a fighting stance, and he and Saber began to fight again. Three seconds later he was down, minus one kendo sword and plus one bruise. In a second Shirou got up…which lasted another four seconds. At this point, Sonic became both bored and confused.

"Okay, time out!" Sonic yelled, making a T-shape with his hands. The action stopped just as Saber was about to move her sword upside Shirou's noggin. "Sorry to interrupt, but I gotta ask… Aren't Servants supposed to make sure their Masters _don't _get hurt?"

Saber's expression was neutral. "This activity was my Master's command."

"Huh?"

Rubbing his sore spots, Shirou said, "When Eggman's robots attacked the school, I…I was completely worthless. I could barely do anything to help out. You and Saber fought with your lives, and I was stuck on the sidelines. I couldn't even beat a single robot, and Tails had to save me and my underclassman."

"Hey, don't feel bad," Sonic said, going over to pat Shirou's leg. "Tails has been fighting robots way longer than you have. You'll get better. Just gotta keep trying."

Shirou found himself smiling a bit. "I know. Last night, Rin gave me some pointers on Magecraft," He bent down and picked something up. It was the newspaper Sonic brought in on his first night in Fuyuki. He closed his eyes.

"_Trace On._" The heat returned, but it was far less painful that time. As he felt the energy flow, words appeared in his mind.

_I _ am _ _ o_ my sword_

Shirou held the paper out to Sonic. "Here, try bending it now."

Sonic pinched the paper's end, but to his surprise the object wouldn't budge. "Whoa, that's solid."

"Last night, Rin gave me a…let's call it medicine," Shirou tried not to think about the pain swallowing that gem Rin gave him caused. "It allowed me to form some proper Mage Circuits- that's what a Mage uses to flow their energy into spells- so now my ability to do Magecraft has gone up."

Sonic nodded with some understanding. "Okay, that's kinda nice…still doesn't explain why you're letting Saber kick you around the curb."

"It is battle training," Saber explained, "Shirou asked of me to help him improve his swordsmanship. We do not have the luxury of time for formal instruction, so I am trying to instill proper experience into him."

"Learn by doing… I get that," Sonic considered, "But, what if you hurt so much that he can't fight at all? From where I stand, you were really whaling on him."

"That may be true," Saber considered, "And we have not had our morning meal. Perhaps we should stop…"

"Actually, I'm feeling better now," Shirou put in, "Let's go a few more rounds before having breakfast."

Saber's eyes narrowed. "So, you will not cook until you are satisfied?"

Shirou felt a twinge of fear. "Y-yeah. Is that a problem?"

**FIVE MINUTES LATER**

Shirou went down via Saber's wooden sword. Off to the side, Sonic traced an imaginary line into the wall.

"Annnd that's another win for the Blond Knight," The Hedgehog announced, "What's that make, a hundred in a row?"

"One hundred and four," Saber corrected, "Shirou, I believe we have trained enough. Let us eat."

Shirou could not make a valid response. His eyes and head were too busy spinning. "…"

Sonic walked over to Shirou bent down, and poked his cheek. Looking up at Saber, he said, "I think the head chef's brain is out to lunch."

Saber began to sweat, and had the decency to look awkward. "Oh, dear."

"Eh, we should let the guy rest. I bet he works too hard as it is," Sonic shrugged, and walked towards the door. "I'll make breakfast today, how about it?"

"What?" Before Saber could ask properly if Sonic could truly cook, the Hedgehog was gone in a blue blur. She heard sounds of high-speed movement coming from outside the training hall, but was reluctant to go out and watch. She looked down at Shirou's prone form.

The smell of food cooking pulled Shirou from the darkness that was unconsciousness. Actually, it wasn't that dark. He recalled a dream about a youth approaching a sword impaling a large rock…

That was when Shirou realized where he was. Saber had take a seat on her knees, and had place his head on her lap.

"Are you feeling better, Shirou?" Saber asked, looking concerned. "I did not mean to hurt you badly."

"No, it's okay," Shirou replied, his cheeks heating up from their close proximity. He sat up so Saber wouldn't notice. "What's that smell?"

"Sonic insisted on cooking a meal for us," Saber explained, "I…don't know what he's doing exactly."

Leaving the training hall, Master and Servant saw that Sonic had assembled a fire in the middle of the yard, and was cooking a large pot of stew over the flames. Sonic was stirring the concoction with a ladle when he saw the pair.

"Hey, Shirou, how ya doing?" Sonic greeted, "Grub'll almost be done in a minute, if you don't mind waiting."

"That's not something I want to hear from the guy who rushes into everything," Shirou replied, walking over to the set-up. He looked into the pot and saw among the broth was a bunch of hastily cut up veggies and meat. "Erm, what exactly did you put in this?"

"Relax, it'll taste great," Sonic assured, purposely dodging the question. "Go grab some bowls and spoons- I left them in the kitchen."

While fetching the requested items, Shirou took stock of the Emiya household's food supplies; The result was miniscule. With not just Saber but Sonic having dinner, the fridge and cupboard was going bare at a much faster rate. All that was left were an apple, and some rice balls that he made yesterday. Shirou decided that his day off from school would be spent at the grocery store.

Still, at the very least the stew was decent enough that the normally stoic Saber smiled a bit as she ate- though not as much as she did when eating Shirou's cooking, the mage noted with some satisfaction.

"Yeah, when you're on the road a lot, you can't always count on a diner being everywhere," Sonic semi-bragged, sitting on a rock. "Gotta learn how to make do with what you've got."

"Well, you certainly did that." Shirou admitted.

"I actually prefer campfire food more than the stuff you make in kitchens, actually," Sonic remarked, "Just feels more natural."

The discussion shifted away from Sonic's culinary skills and preferences and towards something that had been creating an itch in Shirou's mind; Sonic's world. From the way Sonic described it, it sounded like a paradise. A world with futuristic cities, flying cars included. Exotic jungles and landscapes, where people with special powers didn't have to hide. A world that permitted heroes to fight for what they believed in.

_Of course, it's also a world where a total maniac can go on a rampage unhindered, _The more cynical part of Shirou's soul commented, before admitting, _Then again, that's not much different than the way things are here…_

"…Anyway, we get to where the secret treasure of Babylon is hidden, but Eggman pops out of nowhere with a gun," Sonic was saying, "He keeps us away from the big chest long enough to get a look inside, and what was there? A dusty old rug! Dude fainted right there!"

Sonic burst out laughing at the memory, and Shirou and Saber chuckled along with him.

Wiping a tear of mirth from his eye, Sonic said, "Well, that's enough about me. You two crazy kids have any adventures planned for today?"

"Besides grocery shopping?" Shirou asked, and took a moment to refill Saber's bowl. "I was thinking of going to see Shinji today. I want to talk about possibly working with him and Rider to fight against Eggman."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "I dunno, man, isn't Rider the dark chick who can't keep her hands to herself?"

"I am more than a match for Rider," Saber asserted, "If she attempts to harm my Master, I will show no mercy."

Sonic pointed a 'finger-gun' at Saber. "You're scary girl, Sab', and I'm glad you're one of the good guys."

"Me too," Shirou agreed, earning a laugh from Sonic. He then asked, "I don't suppose it's too much to hope for that you'll stay indoors again?"

Sonic scratched the back of his head. "Actually, I'm planning to take a run in the countryside. I need to get out of the city for a bit to clear my head. Y'know, shoot the breeze, and outrun the bullet. Don't worry, I'll make sure no one sees me."

"The whole country's probably seen you already, remember?" Shirou reminded, "But, it's okay. You saved the school from Eggman and those people from Lancer and Rider. You've earned a little freedom."

Shirou looked down at the pot and saw that it was already half-empty. He also saw Saber pouring another serving of stew into her bowl. She looked at him with unflinching eyes, and then added a ladle's worth to Shirou's bowl.

"Please eat up, Shirou," She said, "You need to recover your strength."

Shirou ate some more. His eyes drifted towards Sonic. Shirou noticed that Sonic hadn't touched his empty bowl for a bit, and was starting to fidget.

Shirou said, "You can leave right now, if you want, Sonic. I'll clean everything up once Saber and I are done."

"You sure?" Sonic asked, "You do a lotta cleaning as it is."

"_Go,_" Shirou insisted, "I said it before; You've earned a day off."

"'Kay" Sonic was gone in flash, leaving his dried bowl spinning in the air. Before it could fall and break, he was back, catching it. "Also, you're out of toiler paper. Later!"

And off Sonic went. Shirou couldn't even follow his movements. Only by following Saber's gaze was he able to track Sonic's path, over the far wall of the property. There was a small pang of jealously in his heart as he was once again reminded of how far he had to go before he could be just like them- a hero.

* * *

Lancer, invisible to all and stationed several houses away, watched as Sonic darted between shadows on his way out from the neighborhood.

_He's leaving. _He reported to his Master, and began run after the Hedgehog.

_Wait until he's in a secluded location, _Kotomine ordered, _Someplace that _won't _have a witness you'll forget to _kill.

Lancer purposely ignored that remark. Kotomine hadn't been too happy that Lancer's scheme to bring Sonic out of hiding had not only backfired, but in his zeal to kill his animalistic nemesis he had neglected to silence the women that had seen them. Though Lancer didn't see what was the point anymore. Thanks to Sonic's and Saber's showboating on television (And he had to admit, that mask Saber had worn was pretty cool-looking), the entire country was becoming aware that something terribly unusual was happening in Fuyuki. Kotomine had spent the better part of the previous night trying to cover everything up. The priest was irritable from lack of sleep.

But Lancer didn't really care, honestly. In fact, knowing that the current situation was causing his current Master so much pain cheered Lancer up somewhat. And as infuriating Sonic could be, he was still the only opponent in the Holy War that Kotomine was allowing him to fight, which sated the Heroic Spirit's desire for battle. And deep down, he admired Sonic for fighting to defend the people of the city. It was only to enforce the rule of secrecy that Lancer had to seek the Blue Blur out…and maybe if he was lucky, he might be able to fight a giant robot of his own.

All told, this War was heading in a good direction.

* * *

Sakura was miserable. Sakura was scared. Sakura was also tired. She was sitting on a bench in the Central Park, a place that had been built in honor of the people who had died in the Fire. Sakura shivered. Even in the sunlight, she felt cold. With her innate senses, she could tell that this area was full of grudges and other negative feelings. Not the best place to relax for a potential mage, but it distracted Sakura from her current problem. While she had managed to get some sleep thanks to Avenger's absence, that was proving to be another form of torture.

She knew that when a Master slept, instead of dreams they would see visions of their Servant's life. She had briefly seen a few pieces of Rider's before handing control over to Shinji. That life apparently had sisters who teased her. So when Avenger appeared, she began to see into his life too

And it was full of pain. Suffering. Being forced to experience hundreds of different types of tortures. It was like watching her own life, except with more fire. And every time Sakura woke up, she could swore that she had developed a few burn marks of her own. _Some _part of her body had been set on fire, she knew that for sure. She also knew that this new torment in her life had been orchestrated by her grandfather. It had to have been. Everything that had gone wrong for her was all due to Zouken's machinations.

No doubt he was enjoying every minute of it.

* * *

Matou Zouken was not happy.

Of course, Zouken had never been truly happy in several hundred years. The closest he ever got was sadistic pleasure, which got old really fast. Centuries of disappointment in both his descendants and the world as a whole had withered away at his soul until it had become as malformed as his body. But now that the Holy Grail War had begun, Zouken had a specific reason for his bitterness. And, surprisingly, it wasn't just Shinji's typical blundering that made him grind his remaining teeth.

It was the Shadow.

Zouken knew everything there was to know about the Heaven's Feel. Back when he was young, living under the name Zolgen Makiri, he journeyed from his homeland in Asia to develop the rituals that would become the Holy Grail War alongside the Einzbern and the Tohsaka clans. Back then, he had been young and idealistically foolish. He thought their methods would work the first time. That they would achieve the Holy Grail.

But time after time, failure was all their efforts resulted in. After the Fourth War, Zouken decided that a new method was needed. Normally, in each Holy War, the deaths of each Servant would empower the Grail, with the Master of the last Servant allowed to control the completed Grail's power. But it never came to pass. In each War, no Master had been able to achieve a wish. After the Fourth War, Zouken decided that a change in tactics was in order. Gathering up the essence of the Incomplete Fourth Grail, he transmuted into one of his familiars and placed it in Sakura. When active, it would become a living Shadow that would seek out the Mana of other creatures until it amassed enough energy to create the Holy Grail. He was pleased as he could be when such a creature did appear…and when it started talking, that pleasure transformed into exasperation. The Shadow was not what it should have been. It was supposed to mindlessly seek out the other Servants to absorb, as well as any other person ill-fated enough to stumble upon it. But not Avenger. Avenger was, to a degree, intelligent. Cautious. Cunning, as it turned out. This went far beyond Zouken's calculations. He had lost track of the thing just before that idiot Eggman attacked the school. Zouken hated not being in control of his resources. It had never happened. Even when a clan member _thought _they were rebelling against him, their actions were actually to his benefit…or amusement. But Avenger seemed to possess a Presence Concealment similar to the Asassin class, which should have been impossible!

_It was those outsider' fault,_ Zouken thought bitterly within the confines of his Manor's inner recesses. In glass jars around him, his worm-familiars squirmed at his dark thoughts. _The unusual power they brought with them, these…Chaos Emeralds…that's why the Shadow has become this way._

Zouken's musings were cut off at the sound of his doorbell chiming. It was odd. He rarely received visitors. The only people who bothered to come to the Matou Manor were clan members, who knew they didn't need to announce themselves. Thanks to his worms spread everywhere, Zouken knew if anyone would be at the door.

At first, Zouken considered just ignoring his visitors. But after some consideration, decided that it would be better to greet them. After all, the Master of Saber was apparently friends with that so-called Sonic the Hedgehog…perhaps he could glean some in-depth information from the foolish boy…

* * *

Shirou considered ringing the doorbell one last time. But he didn't. He and Saber were standing out on the front door of the Matou Manor, waiting for someone, anyone, to answer their summons. Besides him, Saber looked more tense and edgy than she normally was, and Shirou didn't blame her. The Matou Manor was anything but welcoming. It was a large and foreboding place, and no one visited it unless they had to. From what he had heard, Shinji himself rarely stayed at the estate himself, preferring to spend his dinners eating out and picking up girls. And it was here, at this time, that Shirou understood why Sakura always preferred to have dinner at the Emiya Estate. This place…no matter how Shirou looked at it, didn't feel like it could be a home to anyone. The entire building and surrounding property seemed more like a hole that existed suck other people in…

The door creaked open, breaking Shirou from his increasingly depressing thought patterns. Now looking at them was a small, bald man, whose entire body seemed to be wreaked with wrinkles. His eyes were squinted so tightly that Shirou couldn't make out their color. However, this shriveled creature had a presence that Master and Servant could instantly tell who it was.

Matou Zouken looked from both Shirou and Saber. "May I help you?"

Remembering his manners, Shirou bowed slightly, and Saber followed.

"Hello, my name is Emiya Shirou," Shirou greeted, and nodded at Saber. "This is Saber."

Zouken rubbed his chin thoughtfully, leaning on his cane. "Shirou…I have heard that name before, haven't I…?" He let out a sharp laugh. "Ah, now I remember! You are a friend of Shinji's aren't you?"

"Erm, yes, kind of," In truth, Shirou and Shinji hadn't exactly been on the easiest terms for several months, but there was no need to include that detail. "Anyway, is Shinji home? I need to talk to him about something."

Zouken hummed. "Unfortunately, Shinji has not been home for some time. In fact, he left yesterday."

"What? Why? And to where?" Shirou asked, blinking.

"I do not know," Zouken admitted. The night before, as Shinji was pacing the hallways, the minute he saw Zouken- Zouken's human body- his eyes widened and he bolted. The coward. "All I can say for certain is that yesterday's events have had an effect on him."

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, it was pretty insane." And suddenly, Shinji's absence meant sense. If Shinji believed the theory that Eggman had Magecraft detecting technology, then of course he would want to get away from a site of immense power. Of course, that Shinji apparently fled his home without warning his family was more than a little upsetting.

_Should _I _tell him? _Shirou thought. After all, if Eggman did attack the Matou Manor at one point, that would mean Sakura would be in danger. Perhaps if Zouken knew what Eggman was after, he would send his grandaughter to a safer place.

The real question was, how much did Zouken know about Shinji's involvement in the War? Shinji claimed to have obtained Rider by chance. If she was a normal Servant, like Archer, then Rider could hide herself by entering her astral state. He had to be careful with his words. Despite what Rin thought of him, he wasn't completely careless. He couldn't just take for granted of how much Zouken knew. He needed to avoid revealing any information that could endanger himself or Saber…or Sonic.

"I am more concerned with the well-being of my granddaughter, Sakura," Zouken went on, "Are you familiar with her?"

Shirou nodded, "Yes, she's a member of the archery club. Is she doing all right? She looked a bit tired yesterday."

Zouken shook his head slowly. "No, she is not. I fear that the stress of the recent events may be more than she can handle. The murders, these strange creature events…"

"It appears that something else is bothering Sakura," Saber spoke up, looking intently at Zouken. "Everyone is aware of the attacks. But for some reason Sakura has been more affected than others."

Zouken did not answer at first. Then he said, "Sakura has always been more vulnerable than others. However, I suspect that these events are reminding her of a traumatic event from her early childhood."

"What happened?" Shirou asked without thinking.

Now it was Zouken's turn to look intently, this time at Shirou. "A member of the clan died right in front of her."

Shirou felt himself go cold. That story sounded so familiar…

"And now, these odd events- the school attack, the creature sightings…very disturbing," Zouken sighed, "Especially that blue thing…machines can be built, but why would something like that appear? A very unnatural anomaly."

"Sonic saved everyones lives at the school," Shirou said firmly, "If he hadn't been there, Dr. Eggman would have destroyed the school and everyone in it."

"Perhaps."

There was something in Zouken's tone that Shirou didn't like. And he knew just what it was. Kiritsugu had mentioned how dedicated heretical mages were to maintaining the secrecy they hid behind. The Mages Association would allow and more likely cause the deaths of hundreds if it would mean keeping the rest of the world from learning the existence of Magecraft. And apparently the Mage before him was the same.

Shirou made a decision. "Listen, would it be all right if Sakura stayed at my house for a few days?"

Zouken's eyebrow, or the piece of his face that once had an eyebrow, shot up. "What are you talking about? If you are trying to court her, then you are doing it wrong, and too early at that."

If Rin had said it, Shirou would have been embarrassed. But Zouken's passive disapproval of Sonic had awoken something inside of him. And so Shirou decided to bare all.

"Dr. Eggman can find Magecraft." The young Master said.

"…What?" Zouken's expression had not changed, but the tone of his voice had.

"I think Eggman's robots attacked the school because of the presence of Magecraft there," Shirou went on, "I know that the Matous are a clan of Mages. It's only a matter of time until he decides to come here. Please tell Sakura that she can rest at the Emiya home until Eggman is captured," He bowed his head. "Thank you for your time, sir. Let's go, Saber."

Shirou turned and began to walk away. After looking at Zouken for a moment longer, Saber followed after him. As they left, the head of the Matou pondered Shirou's words. While he didn't believe Shirou's claims, they would explain why Shinji left and took Rider with him. The gutless weasel was clearly trying to avoid being at the site of another potential attack.

And as for letting Sakura stay with Emiya… Zouken felt his features twist into a terrifying smile.

* * *

"…So, you see, Kotomine, we can't continue the War until Eggman is taken care of." Rin finished.

Getting to the church had taken less time than Rin had thought. Of course, the Fake Priest had actually been doing a sermon when she arrived, and had been forced to wait until he had finished. It was odd. Not once since he had taken over the church did Rin ever come by when Kotomine was doing actual priest duties. From what she had heard, people who listened to Kotomine tended to leave in a worse state than when they came. Hearing her guardian talk, Rin could understand why; Kotomine could make even a grocery list sound like a condemnation of someone's life. And yet, even those who felt "I'm sorry I had been born" would thank "Father Kotomine" for his time. It was uncanny. The minute the scant crowd left, Rin approached Kotomine and laid down the line.

Rather than being his usual upsetting self, the Holy War overseer just nodded. "Yes, I understand. But I wonder if Eggman is the true threat," he said, spreading out his arms. "His machines were frightening, I am sure, but they were just that- machines. Wouldn't an animal spirit running amok be more concerning to Mages?"

It was the same line that Rin had used on Shirou, which only made the Master of Archer even more annoyed. She hated having her own words thrown in her face, if only by accident. However, unlike Shirou she had a logical comeback.

"It's not that simple, and you know it," Rin said, "Eggman made it clear he's looking for something that's in the city. And he said it in public, which means the rest of Fuyuki, maybe all of Japan, knows that. The city being threatened will lead to a heightened military presence, 'for our own protection'. Even with Boundary Fields, someone's bound to notice something- and we might not be able to hypnotize them fast enough. As for that tanuki, from what I've seen-" (Rin decided that Kotomine didn't need to know how close she was to Sonic) "-he seems to have some sort of hero complex. The first sighting was when he saved one of Lancer's victims, and then he showed up at the attack. If we go after Eggman, we might find the tanuki."

After a moment, Kotomine exhaled. "Very well. I will make the announcement tonight.

"…Although I honestly doubt it will accomplish anything."

"What do you mean?" Rin asked.

"During the Fourth Holy War, the Caster team refused to follow the rules, and the officiator at the time- my father- declared that they were to be destroyed. But instead of doing so, the Masters continued to fight each other," Kotomine explained, "It was only until Caster summoned his greatest monster that a few Servants banded together to vanquish the beast. I see no reason that the current Masters, except for Emiya Shirou and yourself, will act any different."

"They will if you tell them that Eggman's machines can track Magecraft." Rin said, and was quite pleased to see how shocked Kotomine appeared at her words.

"…And how did you come to that conclusion?" Kotomine asked slowly.

"Both times Eggman sent his robots to Homurahara Academy, there were Servants present," Rin explained, "Considering how the school has no value strategically speaking, that's the only explanation as to why he went there."

"Hmm," Kotomine hummed, "Your father would have trouble accepting that."

"My father would have liked to _some_ explanation as to why this maniac is attacking places that have Servants." Rin said coldly, and walked out of the church.

* * *

After leaving the Matou Manor, Shirou and Saber headed straight into the shopping district. All over, they could hear people talking about what happened yesterday. At street corner cafes, tables were filled with discussions as to what Sonic was. Some were talking about how awwwwesome those robots looked, even if they wrecked the school and endangered countless lives. There were mutterings on the street over whether or not the high school had some secret treasure. Those who talked about the 'Bug Queen' (A monicker that irritated Saber) concluded that she must have been an overeager _sentai _cosplayed.

Along the way, Shirou saw a police car parked in front of a pet store. The area had been cordoned off, and two officers were investigating the scene.

"…The animals are gone, but none of the products or money was taken," One policeman reported, "What do you think?"

The older-looking cop just rubbed the back of his head. "I'm starting to think this town is cursed, or something. First it was those weird squid-things ten years ago…"

That intrigued Shirou. Ten years ago was when the Fourth Holy Grail War happened. While he now knew that the Great Fire was caused by the War, the policeman's words made him wonder whatever else happened. And just how close the rest of the world was to discovering Magecraft…

"Shirou." Saber spoke up. She sounded tense.

Shirou was pulled out of his thoughts. He and Saber were at a crosswalk. Just as the signal changed to DON'T WALK, he saw a small figure with white hair on the other side of the street. He couldn't get a good look, however, as the passing cars blocked his view. In a minute, the signal became WALK, but once the crosswalk was clear, the mysterious being across the road was gone.

"Hello, _Onii-chan!_" A happy voice chirped from his other side.

Shirou and Saber looked down and saw none other than Illya looking up at them, beaming happily. In flash, Saber was in between the two Masters. The Servant glared down at the shorter, as if daring her to make a move.

Illya cocked her head. "Why so angry, Saber? I'm not here to start a fight."

"You're not?" Shirou asked, looking over Saber's shoulder. It was easy, given how much shorter Saber was compared to him.

"Mm-mm!" Illya giggled, shaking her head. "We're not supposed to fight the War in public. After all, acting in front of everyone would be…" She held up a newspaper clipping. It was a picture of Sonic and the masked Saber, jumping around Eggman and Frankly. "…_stupid._"

_Subtle. _Shirou thought. He didn't have to see Saber's face to know that it was becoming flushed. The real question was, was Saber upset at having been called out for appearing in public, and on television at that? Or did she regret wearing such a silly mask while doing it?

Still, it was a good thing that they had met Illya at the moment. Maybe now they could get another ally to fight Eggman.

"Illya, can we talk?" Shirou asked, stepping around Saber to better face his pint-sized enemy.

Illya blinked. "About what?"

Shirou looked around. Illya may have been teasing Saber, but she had a point; a public area wasn't the best place to conduct business about the War. They needed a more secluded location. Across the street he saw a parking garage.

"Let's go over there, first." He said, pointing.

Illya and Saber exchanged looks. A few minutes later, the three of them were in the garage. There were only a few cars. Shirou took Illya to an area with no cars.

"Ooh, _Onii-chan_, you naughty boy," Illya giggled, "Bringing a sweet young thing to a dark place…what _are _you thinking?"

Saber grimaced, clearly annoyed at Illya. Shirou just sighed. He was so glad no one was around to hear that.

"Illya, do you know why Dr. Eggman attacked my school, yesterday?" Shirou asked.

Looking more serious, Illya replied, "He was looking for some kind of jewel, right?"

"And he was willing to destroy the entire place for it," Shirou said. He decided not to elaborate exactly _why_ Eggman wanted the jewel so badly. "Saber and Sonic beat him that time, but he got away. And we couldn't find anything in the school, so it's only a matter of time before he attacks again. We need to stop him before he wrecks the city."

Illya shrugged. "And why should I care? After all, that has nothing to do with the Holy Grail."

"Not yet," Saber interjected. She now understood why Shirou wanted to talk with Illya privately. "However, if he continues to invade Fuyuki, the authorities will be forced to take closer investigation of suspicious events. The whole of Magecraft may be exposed."

"So, why are you talking about this with me?" Illya asked, "You're in an alliance with Rin, aren't you?"

"We are," Shirou affirmed, "And, I was wondering if you'd like to join it."

Illya's eyes widened, then narrowed. She turned away.

"I know we're supposed to be enemies in the Grail War," Shirou continued, "But the only reason I'm taking part is to help protect my home from Masters and Servants who are hurting other people. _They_ are my enemies," He got down on one knee so as to better face the back of Illya's head. "I don't want to be yours, though. And right now, Eggman is a worse threat than anyone in the War. We need all the help we can get. We need you."

Illya didn't say anything. She shook slightly. After a moment, she wiped her face on the sleeve of her coat. The white-haired Master turned back to look at Shirou.

"Prove it."

Shirou blinked. "Prove it?"

"If you want me as an ally, then do something to prove it," Illya declared, sticking her nose up. "If you treat me well, I _may_ take your request under serious consideration."

Shirou stood up and scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. While happy to not be rejected outright, his recruitment had hit a roadblock- What could he do for someone like Illya? From what he had discussed with Rin, the Einzberns were immensely well off; Even the most expensive thing Shirou could buy would probably be nothing more than poor men's substitutes for things Illya probably already had.

This led Shirou to realize that he didn't know anything about Illya beyond her being a Master. The most he had was that she had some strange fascination with him. He found himself visualizing what kind of life Illya had growing up; Judging from her total lack of concern for human lives, it must have been a very isolated existence; no contact with real people, or maybe any people- just learning Magecraft, and nothing else. Shirou thought about Rin, growing up alone in her giant mansion, and suddenly his heart went out to Illya. More than gaining an ally for the fight against Eggman, Shirou realized what he wanted was to give Illya a chance to be a normal girl. With that in mind, what he had to do was obvious.

**FIVE MINUTES LATER**

"I'd like three tickets to the _Kamen Rider _movie," Shirou told the woman running the box office, "One child, one high school student, and one adult."

"That'll be 34000 yen, please!"

Shirou grimaced as he went for his wallet. He hoped neither girl wanted snacks. Behind him, he could hear Illya looking back and forth between the movie poster and his Servant.

* * *

Sonic the hedgehog looked out at the landscape from atop of a hill. Before him, forest and mountain stretched out as far as the eye can see.

And not a single loop-de-loop in sight.

In spite of that, Sonic loved it. The clean, fresh air breezing through his quills. The sound of the tree branches rustling in the wind. The approaching guy with the red spear...

Sonic let out an annoyed groan as Lancer reached the foot of the hill. "Not you again! What, are FOLLOWING me around?"

"Had to, spiny," Lancer replied, "My Master's not to happy with the way you've been acting."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Way I've been acting? What have I- Wait," Sonic closed his eyes and began to trace circles on his forehead. "I'm getting a psychic vision. My latent telepathic powers are telling me...that...this...haaaas something to do with my epic television debut?"

Lancer rolled his eyes. "What, you can read minds now?"

"It's called 'pattern recognition'," Sonic replied, "It's funny how the guy who saved a school is getting all kinds of grief. Where's the respect? I mean, Saber was fighting Eggman, too, and nobody's mad at her!"

"Yeah, she did look pretty cute in that helmet," Lancer admitted, "But she didn't do anything really outrageous. Not like you, though. Just going out in public is a sure sign of Magecraft existing, and that's something my Master can't allow."

"And what about you?" Sonic asked, with one eyebrow raised.

Lancer shrugged. "I dunno. I know what the rules should be, but I'm impressed with what happened; taking down a giant robot with your bare hands isn't something any normal guy can do. But as a Servant, I've got an obligation to follow my Master's orders- And he wants you to stop. Sorry to say, but in the long run, you're a bigger threat to the world order than some nut job with fancy toys."

"That right?" Sonic sighed, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Man, out of all the worlds I've been to, this is definitely the most messed up."

"All the worlds?" Lancer repeated, blinking. "What, you're from another dimension, or something?" In the back of his mind, he could feel his Master inhaling. It was a bold claim, but if it was true…

Sonic shrugged. "I'll tell you all about it…if you can keep up."

And with those words, Sonic fell back. Curling up into a ball, he began to roll down the hill, going faster and faster. It was something that all hedgehogs could do, and a pastime Sonic hoped he would never outgrow. In three seconds he reached the foot of the hill, and easily bounced onto his feet and zipping off.

"Hey! Get back here!" Lancer yelled, running after Sonic.

As Sonic tore into the woods, he weighed his options. While it irked him that he was getting the business for his actions- his _undeniably heroic _actions- from his enemies as well as allies, Lancer coming after him was secretly a blessing. If the blue-clad Servant was chasing after _him_, then he wasn't hunting and hurting innocent people. That said, if Lancer had the chops to keep coming after him, it meant he had to have killed who-knew-how-many people in order to build up his strength. That didn't sit well. This had to stop.

_Maybe I should call for back-up, _Sonic thought as he darted into a forest. While he figured he could take Lancer on his own, it wouldn't have hurt to have a little extra help. Plus, Saber continually insisted that he not fight other Servants, leaving that to her and Archer.

On the other hand, it was plainly clear that Lancer's Master wasn't letting him fight other Servants. If he called in one of his Servant friends, that Master would just pull Lancer out with a Command Seal. In any case, at the speed they were going they would be in another country by nightfall. The two of them were so far from the city that Sonic was already considering just checking into a hotel when he heard Lancer yelling from behind. He wasn't sure, but it sounded like, "Come back and fight, you coward!"

It was hard to hear things when you were running at 200 miles an hour.

Sonic then saw something flash by that made him grin. Leaping up, he ricocheted off of a tree and grabbed the object before heaving it at Lancer. It didn't hit- among the powers granted to him as a Servant in the Heaven's Feel was Protection From Arrows; No matter what was thrown at Lancer, the spear-weilder would instinctively avoid or block it. Because he saw it coming, Lancer instantly spun his spear to deflect it.

He only learned that it was a hornet's nest until after the fact. Amid the buzzing and stinging, he distinctly heard the tell-tale sound of a camera going "click".

"_I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!_"

* * *

Not too far from the main city of Fuyuki, a castle sat. It was owned and maintained by the Einzberns so their Master could have a base of operations for the Holy Grail War. Currently, it's only occupants were two maids, Sella and Leysritt.

Leysritt was folding the laundry when she suddenly looked up.

Sella glanced away from her mopping. "What is it?"

"Do you hear something?"

* * *

"I'm home!" Rin announced as she entered her mansion. Her mode was distinctly neutral; while talking to kotomine had sent her attitude into the negative zone, on her way back had managed to get a few decent gems at a reasonable price. Money was tight for the one-member Tohsakah clan; while her father used to own numerous properties, after his death they all fell into the Fake Priest's hands. In the years that followed, Kotomine sold most of those properties off, claiming that excessive wealth would be a bad influence. For many years, Rin really wanted to punch his lights out.

_Maybe Tails could build an gadget you could a make a fortune marketing._ Archer had suggested half-jokingly, which Rin had pointedly ignored. While her pride as Mage had been wounded, there was no denying that Sonic and Tails had already provided invaluable help for the Holy Grail War. She couldn't pester the little fox with requests after all of that.

The mansion was quiet. A bit too quiet for Rin's liking. Strange how quickly she had gotten used to the sound of Tails' tinkering.

The mystery was solved when she entered the living room. Lying on the couch, with his namesake appendages wrapped around himself like a blanket, Tails dozed. He looked so vulnerable that Rin then realized that for all intents and purposes Tails was a child, far away from. As aggravating as their presence had been, the situation must be even harder on the outsiders. Rin was so transfixed on the fox's sleeping form that she didn't notice the strange thing on the coffee table until it beeped.

It was a toy of some sort, Rin could tell that much. It was blue, both light and dark, with big yellow eyes. It's body was a sphere, it's arms and feet were like stubs, and atop its tear-shaped head was a yellow propeller.

The propeller began to spin as an electronic but childlike voice emitted from the toy.

"Rin has entered the room! Please wake up!" The toy announced, hovering into the air.

Rin shrieked and punched the thing across the room with a Reinforced fist. It hit the wall with a 'thunk', falling down to the floor afterwards.

"Ow! What was that for?" The object complained.

Tails opened his eyes and unwrapped himself. Sitting up, he yawned and waved to Rin.

"Oh, hey, Rin!" Tails greeted, "What's up? When'd you get back?" When he realized that Rin was in a fighting stance, his ears twitched. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Archer materialized. "I think you need to introduce us to your new alarm clock." he said, pointing to where the thing was.

"Oh, that? That's an Omochao," Tails explained, getting up. He took a moment to stretch. "Omochaos are basically combination toy-slash-PDAs; You can use them to store information to be played back, act as alarm clocks, and other minor digital tools."

"So, that's _not _some new weapon from Eggman that snuck into the house," Archer stated, "Just another advanced device from your world."

Tails shrugged. "Actually, Omochaos are kinda obsolete nowadays. I only keep one around because they bug Sonic."

Rin took the time to calm down. She couldn't keep allowing herself to get worked up by all of these new surprises. She had to resume her place as a dignified Mage and elegant lady, like her father wanted her to be. Exhaling, Rin pointedly ignored the sound of the Omochao approaching to face Tails.

"Tails, do you have any _other _fancy machines I should know about?" She asked, unable to keep herself from watching as Omochao hovered up to Archer's eyes.

Tails shook his head. "Nope, just my tools, the Extreme Gear, Omochao, and my Miles Electric. So, how'd it go at the church? Did that Koto-guy agree to call a ceasefire?"

"He did, but I don't think we can count on any of the other Masters helping out. Also, I think he's going to declare open season on you and Sonic as well."

"What?! What did we do?" Tails paused, "Wait, is this about us being seen?"

Rin nodded, and joined him on the couch. "Look, I understand that you and Sonic mean well, but well-meaning people don't make the rules. Typically, Mages care more about keeping their secrets than innocent lives," She reached down and gave Tails a friendly scratch behind the ears. "You're just going to have to be more careful, from now on."

Tails sighed, and squirmed a little. Rin wasn't sure he was enjoying the scratching or not. She then realized that maybe she was being a little insensitive, and stopped. The minute she did, Archer came in served some tea. It was quite good.

"We should be thankful that the Mage's Association hasn't stepped in as it is," Archer said, "It's possible that all of this robot craziness is throwing off their watchers, but we can't rely on that forever."

"Well, I've got some good news, at least," Tails said, checking his watch. "The _Tornado_'s done refueling. We can take her out for a spin and do an air search!"

"'We'?" Rin repeated, not liking where the conversation was going. "What do you mean, 'We'?"

"You, me, and Archer!" Tails hopped off of the couch. "It'll be great. Even if we don't find anything, it'll be a great way to pass time. The fresh air, the wild blue yonder- whaddya say?"

Rin pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, you've been a lot of help, and I am grateful for what you've done, but if you think I'm going to get in that heap, you've got another thing coming."

**FIVE MINUTES LATER**

"I hate you," Rin muttered in the secondary seat behind Tails. "I hate you both." _Foxes should not have puppy-dog eyes!_

Tails cheerfully ignored her as he did a pre-flight check. "Okay, fuel, check. Flaps, check. Tail, check. Landing gear, check…Hey, where's Archer?" He looked around. "I haven't seen him since he helped you buckle your seatbelt.

"Archer's going to follow us in spirit form," Rin replied, curled up as tight a ball. "He's afraid that if he doesn't his weight might overwork the engine."

"Oh, that's kind of him," Tails remarked, and went back to his checks. "Okay, that's about everything that counts. We're good to launch! Prepare for takeoff!"

The bi-plane's propeller began to spin. The _Tornado _began to move forward. Rin just then realized that the yard wasn't nearly half the size of an appropriate runway. Before she could voice these concerns, the bi-plane shot forward, sending the teenaged Mage into the back of her seat.

"Annnnd we have liftoff!" Tails cheered, and looked back. "How're ya holding up, Rin?"

"I…I thought we were going to hit the hedges!" Rin squeaked, overcome with both shock and excitement. Her very being was a flurry of emotions and adrenaline.

"The _Tornado_'s built to for easy takeoffs," Tails explained, "The faster you get airborne, the better, right?"

As they flew higher and higher up, Rin's soul became the center for a cacophony of feelings. While her "inner Mage" kept telling her not to be impressed, it was only an airplane, people fly in airplanes all the time, she just couldn't keep the thrill buried. This was far different from being in a commercial airline. She could feel the wind rushing past her face, blowing her pigtails this way and that. Her heart was beating so hard and fast that there was no comparison to the sensation of summoning Archer.

As the _Tornado _continued, the initial thrill was replaced by a certain awe. They were so high up, higher than any building in Fuyuki. And soon they were outside of the city entirely. The beauty of Japan lay out before- _beneath _them. It was breathtaking.

Then an obnoxious beeping could be heard.

"Hmm, I'm picking up an energy signature," Tails reported, "It's a pretty big one. Since we're out of the city, it might be a Chaos Emerald!"

Rin's eyes widened, then narrowed. Casting out her senses as far as she could, she tried to sense anything that Tails' gadget had detected. While she could pick up on _something, _it felt distant, but familiar.

_Archer, can you sense anything?_ She asked her Servant through their mind link.

_Yes, but I don't think it's an Emerald, _Archer replied, _Look down._

Rin did so, just as Tails cried out, "Wow, check that place out!"

It was a castle, built in the middle of the woods. Even from their altitude, the sheer elegance and mystery of it all could be felt. Aged, but pristine, the structure looked like something out of a fairy tale.

"The Einzbern Castle…" Rin muttered, frowning. _Of course it is, why shouldn't anything go our way now?_

Tails took another look at the Mile Electric, plugged into his control panel. "The energy is coming from that castle. Wanna land someplace to investigate?"

"No, don't bother," Rin said, "That castle belongs to another Master- Illya. Your radar is getting confused by the Boundary Field around it."

"Illya? You, you mean that little psycho girl with the pet monster on steroids?" Tails gulped. He tried to sound hopeful. "Uh, maybe she's not home?"

"Maybe, or maybe she's sleeping in," Rin said, "Archer's pretty good, but how confident in your ability to confront something like Berserker again?" She heard about Sonic and Tails' encounter with the behemoth from Archer, who was told by Tails. She watched Tails shiver and felt a small sense of satisfaction.

"Y-y'know what? We can put it off until tomorrow," Tails said at last, "Or maybe next week, even. Let's just get a good scope of the terrain."

As the _Tornado _circled away from the castle, Rin made a few calculations. It was common knowledge that the Einzberns would surround their base for the Grail Wars with a powerful boundary field. Considering that flying over the place hadn't triggered anything, the height of the field was on the low side, or at least not as high as a plane could soar. Judging about how soon Tails' radar picked up on it, the size of the Boundary Field must have been…

Information was power. Even small details could change the direction of the battle.

"Still, I can't believe that little maniac has a castle." Tails commented.

"The Einzberns are a very old and well-established Mage family," Rin explained, "Their history goes back even further than the Tohsakas. And in that time they've been able to form an immense fortune to finance their Magecraft."

"You seem to know a lot about Illya's family." Tails noted.

"My family and the Einzberns have been rivals in the Grail Wars for 500 years, we've had a lot of time to gather information," Rin told him, "The more intel you have on your enemies, the better a chance you'll have of defeating them," A thought occurred to her. "What are the Mages like in your world, Tails?"

"Well, I had a run-in with a witch that was turning the people on an island into crystals once a few years ago," Tails admitted, "But beyond that, I dunno. My world has all sorts of crazy stuff. Besides Eggman, we've had to deal with aliens, ghosts, and lots more. 'Course, it's usually Sonic who ends up in the thick of it…"

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Rin deadpanned, "He seems to enjoy being the center of attention."

"Yeah, he loves to show off," Tails chuckled, "But, you know? I couldn't think of a better friend if I tried."

Rin wasn't sure how to respond to that. From her perspective, Sonic was a cocky, borderline arrogant blowhard who did what he did because he wanted the applause that much, and never cared for the consequences. But she hadn't had a lot of time to get to know Sonic personally. Of the Masters and Servants, only Shirou and Saber were able to have a little 'down-time' with the Blue Blur. She wondered what exactly they did; It wouldn't surprise her at all if Shirou decided to ask Sonic for 'Hero lessons'.

Another beeping filled the air. "What is it now?" Rin asked.

"Looks like we've got another power signal, at about 4 o'clock!" Tails reported, "I don't think it's another Mage's home, though- this one's _moving!_"

_What do you think, Archer? _Rin asked her Servant, _Is it an Emerald, or a Servant?_

_We'll know if we check it out, _Archer replied, _But the question is, why would a Servant leave Fuyuki?_

Rin nodded, and said, aloud, "Take us in for a closer look, Tails!"

"Aye aye, Cap'n Rin!" Tails mocked saluted, and steered the _Tornado_ towards the energy signal's direction.

* * *

It was odd things worked out sometimes.

Once the movie ended, Shirou expected that Illya would leave to ponder his invitation to join the alliance against Eggman. In fact, he had been counting on it. There was still grocery shopping to be done, and he couldn't do it if he had to entertain Illya all day.

What he didn't expect was for Illya to invite herself along. All told, it made for a louder shopping experience than what he was used to, as Illya kept trying sneak candy and other gourmet items into his basket. Luckily, Saber was there to try and keep Illya in line.

_We probably look like parents taking their daughter on an outing, _Shirou thought wryly as Saber and Illya's passive-aggressive bickering attracted stares. _I should be thankful that Illya hasn't brought out Berserker to support her argument._

It WAS odd. Ever since they entered and left the theater, Illya had acted less like a Master and more like, well, a child. It was quite a contrast, but not necessarily a bad one.

As they left the marketplace, with arms full of bags, Shirou wondered about his next move. While he was glad that Illya hadn't acted out too much during the shopping, it was only a matter of time before she got impatient and possibly did something…intense. It was plain to see that she was waiting for Shirou to treat her a bit more.

Then he felt it. The warmth in his Mage Circuits building up…even though he wasn't performing Magecraft. It wasn't a powerful if he was, but he still felt the heat. He also felt that energy pulling at him, down an alley.

"Shirou, where are you going?" Saber asked.

Shirou didn't answer. He just kept walking. Saber and Illya exchanged confused looks and followed after him.

"_Onii- _Whoa! What's that?" Illya exclaimed.

It was a large golden ring, spinning silently in the air. Within it's hole was a void. And both Shirou and Saber exactly where that space led to. Sonic had told them all about it on his first night;

_"Do you have any idea where these Chaos Emeralds are?" Saber asked._

_Sonic shrugged. "Not a clue. But a good way to find them is to keep an eye out for giant rings."_

_"Rings?" Shirou asked, looking up from where he was putting down Sonic's futon._

_"Ones big enough to fit a person," Sonic explained, "If you go into one, I guarantee you'll be in a special place where a Chaos Emerald is hiding- and if you make it to the end, you just might find it."_

Shirou put his bags down. Without another word, he ran at the ring. He did not acknowledge the cries from either Saber or Illya. In that moment, nothing else matter. Something within him was telling that, above all else…he had to get inside!

"Shirou, stop!" Saber yelled, cursing herself for her hesitation. But before she could get to her Master, he dove into the ring's hole- and the both them, ring and Mage, vanished without a trace.

"H-hey, what's going on? Where did he go?!" Illya cried out, shaking with her eyes wide as Saber punched the ground in frustration. "_Onii-chan!_"

* * *

It was everything Sonic described and more.

Shirou found himself falling down a tunnel made of endless swirling colors. When his feet touched the floor, he was almost knocked off balance- the tunnel was moving backwards! It was a like a conveyor belt, and Shirou had to run to avoid being swept away. As he moved, words appeared in his mind. They were like the knowledge of Servants that were granted to him as a Master in the Holy Grail War. But instead of statistics and rankings, only one simple message came.

_**Collect 20 Rings**_

And there _were _rings, identical to the ones Sonic and Tails had. They were floating in the air, just waiting to be taken. And take them Shirou did, though it was tricky. Because of the Special Zone's properties, Shirou was unable to just stop and grab the Rings at his leisure. Instead, he had to snatch them as he ran by. Thankfully, his archery training gave him the eyesight he needed to properly time his hands. The ones that were higher up were a bit tricky, but by reinforcing his legs, Shirou was able to make the jumps necessary.

_From what Sonic told me, I need to keep gathering Rings, or I'll be forced out, _Shirou thought as he ran, _Luckily, this seems to be a lot easier than what he described. Maybe Tohsaka's lessons just made me so good it just feels easy!_

Shirou quickly found himself eating his words a minute later. Just as he received the message to _**Collect 40 Rings**_, something else appeared to go with the Rings.

Floating bombs. Lots of them. They were scattered all over the tunnel, gathered in either bunches or chains, forcing Shirou to swerve around awkwardly. He wasn't as coordinated as he hoped, and ended up brushing against one.

Boom!

The explosion wasn't as big as he thought it would be, but it still hurt. As Shirou fell over from the pain, tumbling as the tunnel's momentum carried him, and saw that he had dropped several Rings. Panicking, Shirou tried to reclaim the Rings and gather more, but kept running into more bombs. The Rings' power protected his body from damage, but Shirou couldn't recover them when they fell. Soon, a new message appeared in his mind.

_**You Failed**_

A bright light filled Shirou's vision…

* * *

"We're practically on top of the site!" Tails announced. "I'm gonna look for a place to land! Keep an eye out for a clearing!"

"Wait, let's stay in the air for now!" Rin yelled, "I want to make sure there aren't any Servants around!" _Archer, can you see anything?_

_I do, _Archer reported, _I don't think the radar was picking up an Emerald. Look down._

Rin did so, and saw a blue blur zipping between the trees. Her first instinct was to think it was Sonic, playing a game of some sort- until she saw a _second _blur close behind.

"Well? What is it?" Tails asked.

"It's Sonic, and he's being attacked by Lancer!" Rin said, trying very hard to keep track of the action.

"Really?" Tails asked, and began to look down with wide eyes. "Man, he's fast!"

_Archer, get down there and support Sonic! _Rin ordered.

_Wait, I have an idea. _Archer replied, and took physical form while standing on top of the bi-plane's wings. The _Tornado _wobbled a bit from the sudden addition of extra weight.

"Whoa! Warn a guy before you do that!" Tails yelled as he wrestled with the yoke to stabilize the plane.

"Sorry, I won't take long," Archer apologized. _I am the Bone of my Sword. _Projecting his bow and a sword to fire, he said, "Call Sonic and tell him what I'm going to tell you- I've got a plan."

* * *

Lancer was hot on Sonic's trail, but trying to keep up with the Hedgehog was proving to be difficult. The closeness of the trees limited the room he had to wield his spear, and Sonic was clearly used to fighting in a forest. Sonic would zip out of sight into the shadows and launch attacks at Lancer whenever it seemed as if the spearman's guard was down. Luckily, Lancer was slowly getting the layout of the woods, and soon he would be able launch his own counterattack.

_Let's see…_ Lancer thought, _He suddenly darted off in this direction…but for what?_

Lancer stopped next to a large tree. He had to treat this carefully. He didn't want to rush into a trap or ambush.

At that moment multiple bolts of energy shot down from the sky. Ordinarily, Lancer's Protection From Arrows ability would have defended him, but there was no need; None of the shots were going towards him!

_It's gotta be Archer! _Lancer thought, looking around in confusion. _Dammit, Kotomine's gonna order me away from here any minute…but why isn't he aiming at me? That's never stopped him before…_

Because of the multitude of shots raining down, Lancer didn't hear the ominous creak coming the large tree next to him, nor did her notice that the barrage was whittling away at the base of its trunk. He _did _hear Sonic yell "Timber!" over the noise, but when he turned his head, all he saw was a lot of lumber falling in his direction!

"Argh!" Lancer cried as the tree fell on top of him. Sonic was directly on top of the tree trunk, grinning as he crouched down.

"I'm not one for logging, but I can't say I don't like the results," The Hedgehog smirked, which fell as he felt the wood shake. "Uh-oh."

Sonic leapt off of the tree, just as it became a bunch of splinters. Lancer stood up, livid and with a few leafs in his hair. He shook some wood shards off of his spear's tip and lunged at Sonic, but immediately a something red came between the two of them.

"I'm tagging in," Archer said as he blocked Lancer's spear with his two swords.

"Butt out, Archer! This fight's between me and him!" Lancer yelled, and tried to go around the bowman. When Archer intersected his path again, Lancer said, "How'd you even get out here, anyway!?"

At that moment a faint buzz entered Lancer's ears. He glanced up and saw the red plane flying overhead. He looked back at Archer and saw a grin under that white hair.

"You're kidding me," Lancer said, "Since when did you have a plane!?"

"Since we needed to get out to the countryside and beat you," Archer said. He put on a smug smile to infuriate Lancer, but inwardly knew he couldn't play around. It would only be a matter of time until Kotomine forced Lancer to retreat. He would have to finish this up quickly before that happened.

"Sonic!" Archer yelled, "Keep an eye on Lancer and make sure he can't get away!"

Sonic nodded, and got into his 'about to run' stance. "You got it!"

* * *

"Woo-hoo!" Tails cheered, "Looks like they've got Lancer cornered! We're about to be down one magic ghost!"

"I hope so," Rin said, looking down. "Lancer's tricky. He pulled out during my first encounter with him, and did the same with Shirou and Saber."

Tails looked back at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Lancer's Master is cautious," Rin said, "He- or she- uses Lancer to get a feel for the opposing Servant's power before calling him back. Their strategy is probably to wait until most of the other Servants are killed before revealing-" Rin's words were cut off when the _Tornado _shook with a bang. "What the hell was that!?"

"Something hit us!" Tails yelled, and looked around.

Rin's eyes widened and she too began to search the skies. The idea that they might have attracted the attention of the Japan Air Defense Force hit her, and she began to sweat at the idea of a pilot reporting both her and Tails. But instead of the traditional planes she expected, something very foreign but very familiar could be seen in the distance. They weren't any aircraft Rin recognized. They looked more like…birds of some kind, an avian jet-plane hybrid of sorts. And they were coming their way!

"Tails! Something weird is heading our way at 4 o'clock!" Rin yelled, pointing.

Tails looked and blanched. "Those are Eggman's robots!"

Tails pulled at the yoke, and the _Tornado _veered away to avoid the robots. As the bi-plane righted itself, Tails spotted another squad of Balkiries flying in their direction. Growling, his thumb began to press down a red button on his console- only for an obnoxious beep to come out.

"What was that?" Rin asked.

"Uh, we've got a problem," Tails said nervously, "Remember how I said that the _Tornado _was all fixed?"

"Yes…" Rin said suspiciously.

"While I managed to get the wings back on and repair the engine…" Tails gulped, "I completely forgot about the weapons! We're flying without teeth!"

"What!?"

The Balkiries buzzed the _Tornado _again_, _shaking the plane with their gunfire. Rin shrieked, ducking down for as much cover as her seat could provide. Once the robots passed, she looked up and gave them the stink eye, trying to stave off her fear with righteous anger.

"I've _had it!_" She yelled, and reached into her bag of gems. "I'm sick and tired of all these…_machines!_"

Pointing, she waited until the Balkiries got closer and fired a _Gandre. _The spell struck one on the leftmost side of the squad, causing it to explode spectacularly. Unfortunately, Eggman had programmed his robots to take the possibility of one inexplicably blowing up into account and stayed in formation, adjusting their flight path enough to avoid the shrapnel. Nonetheless, Rin felt a small amount of satisfaction at the victory of Magecraft over machinery.

"Nice shot, Rin!" Tails cheered, "Get another one ready! I'll try to line us up!"

Rin grinned, and nodded. "Okay!" But as Tails began to spin and turn the _Tornado_ into position, she felt her stomach lurch. _Ugh…I hope included a barf bag..._

* * *

However hard they were fighting, however fierce their battle was, Sonic and the Servants could still hear the explosion from above, and only had to look once to see the ensuing dogfights.

"Huh, more robots," Lancer muttered, "What are they doing out here?"

Archer groaned. "Considering that Eggman has Prana-detection technology, the real question is, what kept them?" _And I thought this would be a slow day. Silly me._

"Oh man! Tails!" Sonic cried, and looked back at Archer. I gotta help them! That cool?"

Archer nodded. "Do your thing. I can handle Lancer on my own."

"Hey! Don't treat me like an afterthought!" Lancer shouted, annoyed. He then looked thoughtful. "What was that about a detector?"

Sonic ran over to a tree that had been partially uprooted and spoke into his communicator. "Tails, get down by my position, I'm taking the express and will be up there in a minute!"

Going into a Spin Dash, Sonic waited until the _Tornado _was flying 2towards him. Once the plane was close enough (Archer later asked how Sonic could tell while spinning, and got "Instinct" for an answer), released himself. With his amplified speed, Sonic shot up the tree like it was a makeshift ramp and flew into the air. Seeing him coming, Tails steered the _Tornado _so that Sonic could grab onto the landing gear. Once he had, Tails did a barrel roll, flipping the plane around so Sonic could hop onto the wings.

(Rin, meanwhile, held onto her seat and her tummy.)

"Welcome aboard, Sonic!" Tails greeted his friend, "Have a nice run?"

"I was, until Lancer showed up," Sonic said, and turned to look at the incoming Balkiries. "But I think some good 'ol fashioned 'bot-whuppin' might take the edge off!"

Sonic jumped at the Badniks and did a few Homing Shots. Once they were wiped out, he fell, landing on the _Tornado_'s wings as Tails flew it underneath. As the dynamic duo exchanged a thumbs-up, Sonic noticed a green face in the back seat.

"Hey, Rin," Sonic said, giving the Mage a friendly wave. "First time in the air?"

Only her intense desire remain dignified by forcing the vomit down kept Rin from answering. Instead, she pointed over Sonic's shoulder and shot an incoming Balkiry with a _Gandre. _

"Nice shot." Sonic commented.

Working together, the three of them managed to clear the skies of robots remarkably fast. Down on the ground, Lancer and Archer continued to fight. Of the two, Lancer looked the most aggrivated.

"What's the matter, Lancer?" Archer asked tauntingly, "Running out of gas?"

Lancer snorted, "Ha! You wish. My cowardly Master is telling me to retreat. _Again._ Meanwhile, you guys get to fight other Servants _and _killer robots! The only person I get to fight is Sonic, and he always make a joke out of it!"

"Maybe you should consider changing your loyalties." Archer half-joked. He dimly recalled that in his own timeline, Lancer eventually turned at Kotomine, saving his and Saber from Gilgamesh at the cost of his own life.

Lancer rolled his eyes, though it was hard for Archer to tell as they exchanged blows. "Nice try, but I can't just swap sides because I feel like it- Not how I do things," Lancer said, and broke away from the duel. "You just tell Sonic to quit running away and face me for once!"

Lancer darted off into the part of forest untouched by Archer's barrage. Archer ran after him, disappating his swords and Projecting a bow. He fired a sword at Lancer, but the Servant had seen it coming and deflected it with his spear. Before long, Lancer was out of sight.

Archer sighed. Some things never changed. He heard a few more explosions and looked up at the air battle. _And some things change too much. I wonder else is going to change?_

* * *

Saber smiled triumphantly. "Victory is mine."

"Nooo!" Illya wailed, "How could I lose?" She pointed at the Servant with an accusing finger. "You must have cheated!"

"Being a sore loser is not becoming for a Master of the Einzbern family." Saber chided softly.

Illya puffed her cheeks out and sat down, her arms crossed and a cross expression on her face. On the TV set, the words, "GAME OVER: PLAYER 1 WINS" still flashed on and off. A request to "Try Again?" Watching all of this was Shirou, who just returned from cleaning the bathroom. Quite frankly, the whole scene looked like something out of a sitcom. Illya, whom mere days before had tried to kill them all, had invited herself for some tea. And then a bath (Illya had not-too-subtly requested Shirou's aid, but Saber preempted that by joining her). And before long Illya had become a dinner guest. While the white-haired child waited, her attention was drawn to the Sega Genesis Sonic hooked up, and the two girls began their contest. Shirou wondered if he should tell Saber to let Illya win once, to keep the tiny Master's Urge To Kill lowered.

"Then it's this stupid old console!" Illya said, throwing a tantrum. "The buttons on the controller stick, that's why I lost!" She stuck her nose in the air. "If we had been playing on my state-of-the-art Xbox, I would have whipped you!"

"You have an Xbox, Illya?" Shirou asked.

"Of course," Illya said, calming down. "As a member of the ancient and powerful Eiznbern family, all of the best things in life are mine to ask for," She looked around. "This is a nice place, _Onii-chan_, but compared to the family castle, it's rather…small."

Saber recalled the Einzbern's central castle, the main base for their Magecraft. Indeed, it was truly more impressive than the humble estate Kiritsugu purchased during the Fourth War. That place she had been summoned in, the castle's chapel, was certainly larger and more beautiful than the shed she appeared before Shirou in.

Larger…and colder.

"We even have a smaller castle just outside of Fuyuki, _Onii-chan_," Illya continued, smiling. "Hey! Maybe you can visit me sometime!"

"I'll, uh, keep that in mind," Shirou replied evasively, "But, thank you for your offer."

"But only you, _Onii-chan!_" Illya insisted pointedly. "You can't bring anyone else."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that, Illyaseviel," Saber said, "As a Servant, I must remain by my Master's side." _I wonder if Irisviel's car is still there?_

As the two girls began to passive-aggressively negotiate the terms of a potential visit to Castle Einzbern: Fuyuki branch, Shirou heard the doorbell ring. He quickly ducked out to answer the door; It was probably Sakura and/or Taiga. He briefly realized that he would have to figure out an excuse for Illya's presence within the minute-and-a-half it would take for to reach the door and return to the living room. Maybe he could claim that he was babysitting…

When Shirou opened the door, he found that it was neither his underclassman nor his teacher. In hindsight, neither of them would have used the doorbell. Instead, something far more terrifying stood on the doorstep.

It was Rin.

"Hello, Emiya-_kun_," She said, sounding a bit tired. "Sorry for dropping in without calling, but I thought we should have another meeting on what to do about Eggman."

"No, it's okay," Shirou lied. When Rin saw Illya, chaos would ensue. "But do you really think it's okay to do this by ourselves? Sonic went out earlier, and hasn't come back yet."

"He's with me," Rin said, taking off her shoes. "We bumped into each other while test-flying Tails' plane."

"What?" Shirou would have asked for more, but at that moment Sonic and Tails came in through the door.

"Welcome to _Casa de Emiya_," Sonic said, leading Tails around the two Mages. "'Sup, Shirou. Have a good day off? We didn't."

Before Shirou could do anything, the two outsiders zipped around a corner and were out of sight. He looked helplessly at Tohsakah, and was completely misunderstood.

"Sonic was attacked by Lancer _and _we had a run-in with some of Eggman's robots," She explained, walking down the hall. "Nothing as big as the ones he attacked the school with, but still annoying."

"Are you all right?" Shirou asked, trying to keep up. There was no delaying it, now. He could only hope to keep all sides from destroying themselves, and more importantly, the house…!

Rin shrugged, "We got through it. Lancer got away, though, _and _we almost had a run-in with the Air Force. Ugh, that Sonic was laughing all the way, too…I think he enjoys courting danger…"

That's when it happened. Rin walked right into the living room, and right in front of her was Illya, helping herself to a snack. The two enemies stared at each other for a solitary minute. No cacophony could be half as deafening as the silence the filled the minute. Once the sixty seconds were up, Rin turned to Shirou, her eyes full of hate and tears.

"She followed me home?" Shirou tried. If anything, his answer simply _increased _the fire in Rin's glare. The deceptive calm was broken by the sound of Illya biting into the apple with a loud crunch. Off to the side, Saber and Archer (Who materialized) stood still, but tense, ready to jump in if a fight broke out. All parties watched as Illya slowly chewed.

Before anything could happen, however, Sonic and Tails came in from the back yard.

"And_ this _is where the living room, where I hooked up the…" Sonic trailed off when he saw Illya. She swallowed her food.

Tails gulped. "Uh, Shirou, Saber, did you guys defeat Illya and Berserker while we were out…or something?"

Illya looked at Tails in confusion before busting into laughter. "Teeheehee! Yeah, right! As if _Onii-chan _could beat me!"

"Yeah, good for you…" Sonic said, scratching his ear. "Yo, Shirou, can I have a minute?"

Sonic became a blur, and so did Shirou's vision. When everything returned to normal, Shirou found himself in Sonic's private room. The red-haired teen lurched, somewhat put off by the rapid motion.

"Look, I'm still kinda new to how things work around here," Sonic said, "Buuuut, where I come from, you don't invite your arch-nemesis to tea until _after _you've foiled their evil scheme."

"I'm trying to form an alliance with Illya," Shirou explained, "Remember what Tohsakah said last night, about the Masters of the Fourth War teaming up? I thought I could do the same thing now, to fight Eggman."

Two heroes, one actual and the other a wannabe, exited the room and began to walk back to the living room.

"Besides, I'm starting to wonder if Illya really _is _my enemy." Shirou went on.

"Isn't the same kid who had her pet muscleman cut you half?" Sonic asked.

"What I'm saying is, I think Illya doesn't really understand what good and evil is," Shirou replied, "She just…does whatever she wants."

"So this is one of those 'If I'm nice, maybe she'll become good' things?" Was Sonic's next question.

"…Do you think it would work?"

Sonic rubbed his chin. "Worth a shot, but the real question you need to ask is, 'What if it doesn't?'"

Just then, Saber came around a corner. When she saw the pair (More specifically, the part that held her Command Seals), her expression softened, though you had to look really hard to tell.

"There you are, Shirou," She said, sighing. "I have explained everything to Rin, Archer and Tails," Saber then fixed Sonic with a Look. "Sonic, please do not abduct my Master again."

Sonic pointed at the Servant and waggled his eyebrows. "I make no promises."

Saber rolled her eyes, though the edge of her lips twitched. Shirou suddenly felt a surge of jealously when he realized that Sonic had almost made Saber smile…outside of mealtime.

The three returned to the living room, and found that an uneasy calm had settled over its current inhabitants. Tails and Illya were playing a game on the Genesis (Tails was purposely losing), Rin was seated at the table with a cup of tea, and Archer was busying himself in the kitchen.

Shirou decided that it was best to get the worst over with. He sat next to Rin. "So…are you okay with…?"

Rin sighed, resigned. "No. I'm actually getting used to you doing suicidal things. And what do you plan to do when Illya decides she doesn't need to partner up with us?"

Shirou shrugged awkwardly. "We're back where we started, the two of us against her. Anyway, aren't you the one who keeps saying that our own alliance is only temporary? What this cooperation any different than the one between us?"

Rin grimaced and turned away, her cheeks with a trace of redness on them. Shirou found himself smiling. It wasn't often he got the last word in when talking to Rin.

Meanwhile, Sonic zipped over to where Archer was. After a moment, he retrieved a stool to better look the Servant in the face.

"Does Shirou know you're wearing his apron?" The Hedgehog asked.

"I'd thought I'd make dinner tonight," Archer explained, purposely ignoring the jab. "He's made some progress, but if Illya gets a bad meal because of Shirou's clumsiness, it'll all go to waste. I'm going to prevent that."

"I heard that," Shirou said, getting up. He sounded unusually cross. "And I'll be the one to make dinner. This is my house, after all."

"Please, with your sub-par skills, it'll be a miracle to get something edible," Archer replied. "This is too important to leave in your hands."

Shirou marched over, clearly intent on making Archer eat his words. The dramatic effect was ruined by his fourth step, whereupon Shirou slipped and almost fell over. "Almost" made possible by the quick reflexes of Saber. The blond Servant caught her Master, and helped him up.

"Girls, girls, please, you're both pretty!" Sonic said, waving his hands what must have been a peace-brokering gesture.

"Are you all right, Shirou?" Saber asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Shirou replied, and looked down to see what he slipped on. It was a book. Bending over, he picked it up and looked at the cover.

_Kiritsugu_

"Oh, that's my fault, sorry, man," Sonic said, "I was flipping through that album the other day and forgot to put it back."

Shirou didn't reply. Instead, he opened the book. Behind him, Saber looked around his shoulder to see what was so compelling about the small tome.

It was Kiritsugu. There were pictures of Emiya Kiritsugu covering the pages. They had little amusing captions, such as "Kiri and Shirou-chan at the festival" or Kiritsugu can't cook", but each one certainly featured Kiritsugu in one way or another.

But…it _wasn't _Kiritsugu. Not the one she remembered. That man had been a true Mage, coldhearted and completely focused on his goal. The man depicted in the photographs, however, wasn't. Carefree, relaxed, smiling…

"Wow, I haven't looked at this in ages…" Shirou said, flipping through the pages.

Rin, who had been interested in what Shirou was reading, came over to take a look. "Hmm? Who is that man, Emiya?"

"Huh?" Shirou glanced at his classmate. "Oh, this is Kiritsugu, my stepfather."

Off to the side, Illya let her controller fall to the floor. Slowly, she turned towards the gathered teenagers.

"Hey, uh, Illya, what's up?" Tails said awkwardly. He was ignored.

"So, this is the guy who raised you?" Rin asked, looking over Shirou's other shoulder.

"Yeah," Shirou said, "After he died, Fuji_-nee _put all of the photos we took together into a single album. I guess as a sorta memorial."

Shirou had been so transfixed on the pictures that he didn't notice Illya approaching him. She had walked around the three so she could be in front of Shirou. It was only when she reached out and tried to take the album did Shirou become aware of her presence.

"Hm? Oh, sorry, Illya. Did you want to look as well?" Shirou asked. Getting down on one knee, and held the album out so the diminutive Master could see. "This man here is the one who raised me. He saved my life during the Great Fire of Fuyuki, and after that adopted me,

"He…he was always kinda careless. He would just play around, and rarely took anything seriously. Sometimes he would leave the house for weeks on end, going to different countries…" Shirou trailed off when he heard a sniffle. Looking at Illya, he saw that tears were forming at her eyes.

(Saber, not for the first time, remembered that girl Kiritsugu played with in Germany)

"...Illya? What's wrong?" Shirou asked, worried. Illya was gripping the edge of the album

"Hey, Sonic!" Illya suddenly shouted. Everyone jumped slightly, and Sonic almost fell off of his stool. "_Oni- Shirou_ told me that you and Tails are from another world!" She inhaled sharply. "What…what's it like? Is it better than our world?"

Sonic rocked back and forth on the stool. "Well, I'm probably biased, but I'd say there's no place like home. We've got a lot going for it. Hi-tech cities with flying cars, a floating island-" ("A _floating island?_" Rin whispered.) "-and my personal favorite, naturally-formed loop-de-loops everywhere.

"Now, I haven't seen much of this place, but I gotta say, I think it's got too many evil wizards running around. Also, I didn't see a single loop-de-loop while I was out."

_That's something you could change with the Holy Grail, Rin. _Archer suggested.

_I'm not using the culmination of the Tohsaka Clan's efforts to fill the world with loop-de-loops. _Was the immediate and flat reply.

_I was talking about the evil wizards…_

"But, all told," Sonic added, "The scenery's nice, and I do like the neighbors." And punctured this sentence by giving Saber and Shirou a 'finger-gun' point. Shirou smiled, which fell when he looked back at Illya. He eyes hadn't left one of the pictures of Shirou and Kiritsugu...the last one they took together before the latter's death. Concerned and a little confused, Shirou opened his mouth...

_Rrrrrinnnng!_

Only to have his voice drowned out by the ringing telephone. Getting up, Shirou picked up the reciever only to have the most grating noise invade his fragile eardrums.

"_SHIROU!_"

The red-haired Mage reeled back from the phone as the voice of Fujimura Taiga echoed in both his head and the rest of the house. The proceding incessant chatter certainly didn't help ease the pain.

"_ShirouyougottagetoutandgettosafetyImeaniteveryonesindangerand-_"

"F-Fuji-_nee, _please slow down, I can't understand a word you're saying!" Shirou cried into the phone, hoping that maybe his voice was heard. It must have, as Taiga's next statement, though still loud, was slightly more intelligible.

"There's robot on the loose! It's here, in the district!" She shrieked.

"_What?!_"

"I just got a call from Grandpa, the entire neighborhood is evacuating! You need to _leave! _And _don't _do anything stupid like trying to fight it!"

"All…all right, I understand. I won't," Shirou said, feeling a bit guilty for his dishonesty. "You be careful, too…" Shirou hung up. After a moment, he looked at everyone around him. He then noticed that Sonic was missing. "Hey, where's…?"

Tails' communicator beeped. The fox answered it. "Hello?"

"Yo, I'm up on the roof," Sonic said, "It's hard to tell in the dark, but I do see something big and unwieldy coming down the street."

Very faintly, the rest of the group could hear a slight crash in the distance.

"Annnnd it just knocked a street light onto someone's house."

"Are you kidding me?" Rin groaned, "Why do we have to deal with this _now?_"

"Why not?" Archer replied rhetorically, "With three Mages…well, two Mages and Shirou, along with Saber and myself, this house is like a huge beacon his detectors."

"We can discuss the robot's reasons for coming here at later convenience," Saber said, her armor materializing. "We must first deal with our attacker. Shirou, where's my helmet?"

"So, that's going to be a thing…" Shirou murmured. Saber had the decency to blush a little.

"W-well, I cannot risk my identity being exposed…" She said, looking away.

"Wait!"

Everyone looked down at Illya. She no longer looked like she was about to cry, but she still looked angry.

* * *

While it was technically a head shorter than Frankly, the robot marching down the street was still much larger than anything the neighborhood had seen, with the exception of that semi that unloaded "Perfectly Legal Merchandise" for the Fujimura Group. It had body structure that was similar to the Egg-Robos Badnik model Eggman had used to attack Angel Island's Sky Sanctuary, but had much thicker arms and legs. It's light green paint job was a large contrast to Frankly's for boding purple hue, and on each of its wrists was a fully armed blaster cannon.

E-4156 "Humpty"

Nobody noticed the pair of robots floating alongside its wake. Compared to Humpty's gait, they were like little dots, one red and one yellow.

"Now, we're almost near the site," Orbot told Cubot, "Let's try to keep things professional, all right? We go in, grab the Emerald, and then leave. No waiting for a news crew to show up."

"Then why did I bother putting on make-up?" Cubot asked, his eyes now adorned with false eyelashes.

"Please take those off."

As Cubot wiped his eyes, Orbot checked the device in his hands. It was circular in shape, had a computer screen showing a grid on top, and a drawing of Eggman's face on the bottom. A blinking dot appeared on the top of the screen.

"Hmm, according to this, a large energy source is approaching us," Orbot announced, "Someone must be carrying a Chaos Emerald."

"Hey, that's handy," Cubot commented, "If we get this done quickly, maybe we could have time to check out one of those karaoke bars without Eggman catching on."

"No, for the last time!" Orbot nearly shouted. This wasn't an new subject. "Those places charge an arm and a leg, the latter of which we weren't built to have. And you _know _I can't carry a tune…"

That was when Orbot bumped into Humpty's leg. The giant robot had stopped moving. Confused, the two robots poked their heads around its ankle. Up ahead, a small figure wearing a helmet stood in Humpty's way, a David to the robot's Goliath.

"Who is that?" Orbot asked.

Cubot gasped. "It's the Bug Queen!" His eyes narrowed as his vision did a zoom-in. "She looked taller on TV…"

That was a very accurate assessment. The person before them was about half the height of the lady who boldly challenged Eggman the previous day. Instead of the armored dress, this little girl had white dress with a purple shirt on, which looked even more incompatible with the _Kamen Rider _helmet she over her head. The long white hair blow gently in the wind.

The otherwise cool appearance was promptly ruined when the 'Mini Bug Queen' began to strike strange poses, like the model for a modern art class.

"You cannot come any further, evil ones!" The girl declared, her arms arched into a square as her legs bowed. "Or face my power!"

Humpy bent its head down at the tiny figure. Then, it looked up. As a machine built for war, conquest, and general mayhem, it didn't have the capacity to physical display emotions. And yet, somehow, there was definitely an air of "Why me?" being expressed in that one gesture. Looking back down, Humpty did a quick scan of Kid Bug Queen and came to this conclusion;

_Subject's energy level: 439.52%__

_Likelihood of having Chaos Emerald: 86.28%__

_New object: Get 'er__

Humpy bent down and lunged at Kid Bug Queen. Rather than doing the rational thing and running away, the helmeted child made a sweeping gesture and pointed at the incoming robot.

"_Berserker!_"

On cue, a mass of grey, chiseled-from-rock muscles appeared and body slammed Humpty.

* * *

Several houses away, the group watched the face-off.

"You took her to the _Kamen Rider_ movie, didn't you?" Archer said, giving Shirou a glance was equal parts amusement and exasperation. Shirou pointedly ignored him.

"So…we're just going to watch?" Sonic asked, "That's no fun."

"I'm more worried about what might happen if someone sees Illya," Tails commented, "I mean, wasn't keeping secrets a thing? That helmet's not much of a disguise."

"Illya already cast a Boundary Field the minute she stepped out into the street," Rin explained, "That'll make everyone in the neighborhood leave, and keep anyone else from coming back. Besides, this might be a good chance to observe her and Berserker some more."

"What could we learn about them besides 'Crazy strongman and girl from _The Village of the Damned'_?" Sonic asked, giving Rin the Raised Eyebrow of Incredulity.

Saber remained silent, as well as conflicted. Besides the slight irritation of having to give up her helmet to Illya (She wasn't done with it), there was also…something else. A slight, nagging uneasiness that continued to nip at her soul. One that started up every time Saber saw the Master of Berserker.

_She's just a homunculus. _Saber would tell herself.

_She's the _enemy. Saber would tell herself.

_That child should be Shirou's age by now._ Saber would tell herself.

But no matter what she did, how much she tried, Saber could not stop thinking about that young girl Kiritsugu played with. And those thoughts continued to create the fear.

Fear that the person Irisviel loved the most was all but certain to die.

* * *

Berserker continued to hammer at Humpty, never letting up for a second. The robot tried to use it's larger size to it's advantage, but the sheer onslaught of blows did not allow for it to happen. Berserker's attack had no elegance, like Saber, or was calculated like Archer, and it certainly lacked the playful energy of Sonic the Hedgehog. It was sheer rage, fueling an endless barrage of messy hacks.

Realizing that a change of tactics was in order, Humpty activated its rocket pack and launched into the air. This caused Berserker to stumble forward. Catching himself, the mad Servant glare up at the dark sky. Humpty landed further away, and aimed both of his arm-cannons at Berserker. It fired two missiles at the monstrous Servant, which struck him directly in the head.

_Boom! Boom!_

And out from the smoke came Berserker, who looked more-or-less unharmed, save for a few pieces of shrapnel stuck in his hair. The mad Servant bore down on Humpty, who wisely rocketed up and out of Berserker's path again. This time, Berserker wasn't quite so willing to patiently wait for the robot to come down. Turning on his heel, Berserker heaved his mighty stone sword at the rising machine, missing it entirely. (You try aiming when you're consumed by magically-imbued rag) Humpty landed on the other end of the street and fired more missiles. And Berserker again shrugged off the salvo, making another lunge at Humpty, who flew into the air again…

And while this went on, nobody noticed Orbot and Cubot, hiding behind a mailbox. Orbot was examining his computer, and Cubot was reading a volume of _Jojo's Bizarre Adventure_.

"You know, maybe we should have gone to the karaoke," Orbot considered, pushing buttons. He glanced out at the brute fighting Humpty, then at Kid Bug Queen. "I could be wrong, but there seems to be a link between that…_thing_ and the little girl."

"You mean it's a Stand?" Cubot asked.

"I don't know, maybe we're in a dimension where those exist." Orbot admitted.

Cubot got a far away look in his eye. "…That is _so cool._"

Meanwhile, Berserker was getting angry at the repetitive nature of the battle. Granted, he was always angry, but Humpty's continued insistence on keeping its distance and firing (Useless but annoying) missiles drove that angry the deeper and hotter. The after taking another missile to the face, Berserker didn't just watch as Humpty inevitably rocket away. Instead, he _leapt _up, and grabbed one of Humpty's legs. The sheer weight of Berserker's muscles caused him to pull the leg right off, leaving Humpty with only it's right leg remaining. It landed awkwardly a fair distance, and tried to fire another more missiles. But it was that moment that Berserker's sword came falling out of the sky and clunked the robot directly on the head. Humpty's was knocked off-balance and the second missile went astray.

* * *

"Incoming!" Tails hollered as the projectile tumbled their way.

Saber whipped out her sword, but Archer was already in action. Jumping up, he held up his hands and began to invoke a spell.

"_Trace On. Rio Atlas_."

A giant, magnificent shield with a pattern like a multi-leafed clover suddenly materialized in front of Archer's body. The missile struck it dead on, exploding spectacularly.

"Neat." Sonic commented.

"I'll be signing autographs later." Archer said, landing.

"I meant the missile."

* * *

The battle between magic ghost and machine was going in a different direction at that point- down. Berserker managed to tackle Humpty and was currently, and repeatedly, pounding away at it. Over and over, the Heroic Spirit of Herakles slammed his stone sword into the robot, never letting up. Humpty tried to blast him away with a point-blank missile, but the minute the machine raised his arm, Berserker just ripped it off and threw it into an abandoned house.

After that, the battle was over. What followed was nothing more than a brutal, ridiculously over the top demolition as Berserker proceeded to rip, smash, and pound Humpty's metal body into unrecognizable scrap.

Orbot and Cubot watched in horror at the sight of this brutality.

"…Y'know what? I think we've investigated this area to our satisfaction." Orbot decided, shaking.

"Yeah, let's ditch this and hit the karaoke bar!" Cubot gulped, and the two of them hovered away, unseen by all.

Berserker's merciless carnage continued for several minutes after that. Then, a little voice cried out.

"Berserker, stop!"

Panting, Berserker stood up. He looked down at Illya, standing next to him, still wearing the helmet. With inexplicably synchronized movements, Master and Servant struck a pose straight out of _Kamen Rider_. A cell phone floated out of Illya's pocket and took a picture. It was immediately snatched out of the air by a Blue Blur.

"Cute," Sonic commented, "Something for the scrap book?"

Illya grinned cutely and took off the helmet as the rest of the group ran up.

"Not bad, huh, _Onii-chan_?" Illya asked, shaking her hair out. "_That's _how a Master and Servant destroy a robot! Fast, complete, and absolutely _no witnesses._"

Saber grimaced. That last part had clearly been directed at her. Besides her, Archer just crossed his arms.

"I wonder about that," The white-haired Servant said, "Your Boundary Field keeps people from seeing what happened inside of it, but some people _did _see the robot _enter _the Boundary Field."

Illya's smug smile dropped. "Uh…"

"Someone's eventually going to ask where the robot went, and what created the pile of scrap over there," Archer continued, "Not to mention the question of what messed up the street will go unanswered."

Everyone looked back and forth at the huge craters Berserker made in his fight. It looked like someone had taken a very large corkscrew to the pavement. They looked to Berserker, who narrowed his eyes in a way that was very unsettling. Therefore, the group looked to Illya, whose eyes were less unsettling by comparison.

Illya looked comfortable. "Wait, so…you mean…"

Archer nodded. "That's right. You're going to have to clean this up."

"…Nuts."

_TO BE CONTINUED_

_Tiger Dojo_

Taiga: All your base belongs to us! Tiger Dojo has taken over! I am your instructor, Fujimura Taiga!

Illya: And the Number One Student is the True Route's Heroine, Illya! Welcome to the show!

Taiga: You're feeling pretty smug right now, aren't you?

Illya: You bet I am. Not only did I get to go on a date with _Onii-chan_, but I finally got to fight one of Eggman's robots. It felt great! But, you know…

Taiga: Hmm? What is it?

Illya: Humpty, Frankly, Arms…the author given Eggman's robots some _weird _names.

Taiga: Eh, actually, the author didn't make those up. According to this official statement, he's trying to be as close to source material as he can, so…

Illya: Wait, so Eggman really _did _give his robots those names? Yeesh!

Taiga: No more delays! We must now answer questions. Our first one comes from Thunder Dragon; "How did Avenger sneak up on Amy and Bazzet and snatch The Chaos emerald practically from their finger tips?"

Illya: Oh, that's a bit of a spoiler, but Avenger being able to sneak up on people has to do with the fact that he's part of the Shadow bound to Sakura. And Matou Zouken created that Shadow by using mud from the incomplete Fourth Grail. Before papa had Saber destroy it, that Grail had absorbed all of the then-Servants except for Saber and Archer. As Avenger showed afterward, he apparently has the power of those Servants buried within them.

Taiga: Like Asassin's Presence Concealment?

Illya: Yes. However, I wonder what else he'll be able to do once he absorbs that Emerald's power…

Taiga: So very foreboding. Now, read us the next question!

Illya:Our next question comes from Alena-_san_. She writes, "Dear _Tiger-Dojo_, what kind of Servant would Sonic be if he was summoned as a Heroic Spirit?"

Taiga: Ooh, that sounds interesting! A Servant's class depends on what kind of abilities and personality they have. Let's see, he drove a car during the racing games, which means he could be a Rider, or a Saber, since he got to be a knight once…

Illya: Personally, I think Sonic would be better suited as a Lancer, with his Hit-and-Run tactics.

Taiga: Don't tell Lancer that. He might take offense. In any case, our time has come to an end! Until next time, keep practicing, my students!


	7. The Wicked Wild

Chapter 7: _The Wicked Wild_

"…Judging from the pattern and placement of the attacks, we can only conclude that whatever method Dr. Eggman is using to find his 'Chaos Emerald', is allowing him to track Servants, if not unintentionally."

When night had fallen, Kirie Kotomine had sent out the signal. As the Church-appointed overseer of the Holy Grail War, he had the means to call every Master fighting in the War to the Church. And in the darkness he had done just that, intent on delivering his message. After seeing the robots appear where Archer and Lancer were, Kotomine was forced to admit that maybe, just once, Rin might have had a point.

Not a single Master had appeared.

That was understandable. No Master would willingly risk exposing themselves by coming to the church. And although the rules stated that the Fuyuki church was a neutral zone, Kotomine well understood that for some people, the so-called rules of the Holy War were nothing more than guidelines.

That didn't mean that Kotomine's summons went unanswered. Instead of coming in person, the Masters had sent Familiars. Some the priest had recognized, such as Rin and Illya's; Having trained Rin in Magecraft, he knew very well that his unofficial 'daughter' used owls. And the magical wires shaped like a dove was identical to the creations of the last Einzbern homunculus to visit Fuyuki, Irisviel; meaning that it had been sent by Illya. He could only assume that the hunched over skeleton belonged to Caster, who's own Master was technically a normal man. And there was no way the hideous insect buzzing about wasn't a conjure of Zouken; Since Shinji had no Magecraft abilities, the old Matou clearly decided to gather intel for his grandson. The only Master who didn't send a familiar was Emiya Shirou, who lacked the skill to do anything so rudimentary.

Kirie continued, "And so, as the Church's supervisor, I hereby call a temporary ceasefire in the War, and order all Masters to focus their energy on finding and neutralizing Eggman. And whoever can provide useful information to this end will receive an additional Command Seal.

"Furthermore, I will also reward a Master who can…" Kotomine paused, "…Take care of this blue Tanuki who has been less than discreet. Those who do this and bring me proof will receive a Command Seal as well."

* * *

"He did it," Rin reported, "He's announced a halt to the War until Eggman is beaten."

Kotomine had sent out the signal just as Illya had finished cleaning up the street. While she had repaired the pavement, Shirou, with the help of Sonic and Tails, had taken the remains of the robot and hid them in his storage shed. The red-haired Mage didn't think it was right to have Illya do most of the work on her own, as she had defended his neighborhood. Once they had finished, the group returned to the Emiya living room, whereupon both Illya and Rin sent out Familiars to answer Kirie's summons. Archer and Shirou, for lack of anything better to do, begrudgingly cooperated to make dinner.

"So, is there good news _and_ bad news?" Sonic asked.

"Yes, and maybe yes," Rin said, "The Fake Priest is offering another Command Seal to whoever does the most to bring down Eggman. The problem is, he's also offered the same thing for whoever captures _you._"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "You know, this is a pretty messed-up world when even the local cleric is against you."

Rin was about to lecture Sonic on how his public activities would expose Magecraft and bring the Mage's Associations Enforcers down to press the big, bloody-red mute button on the city. Before she could, however, Tails spoke up.

"Wait, how can this guy just give Command Seals?" The two-tailed fox asked, "Don't those just appear when you summon your Servant?"

"Not every Master who joins the Holy War wish to fight, at least not until the very end," Illya said. She was hugging the photo album. "Some Masters who lose their Servants can go to the Church for protection. In doing so, they must relinquish their Command Seals to the Church-appointed supervisor."

"So, that's how it works…" Tails murmured, "But why would they need new Seals? I mean, aren't the Servants and Masters already bound to each other?"

"Not every pair has a bound such as the one between Shirou and myself," Saber said, "Some Masters have tactics and ideologies that would sow discord between them and their Servant," _Like what happened between Kiritsugu and I. _"A means to enforce obedience is required in those cases."

"And to get your wish," Rin said, "The Holy Grail isn't a physical object. Only Servants can touch it. In order to use its power, a Master has to make his wish through the Servant. Losing your Command Seals is the same as losing the Holy Grail to your Servant's personal desires."

"So you need to force them to do what you want?" Tails looked stunned, "That's horrible! It's like…slavery!"

"No it's not," Illya said, "Servants are basically a form of familiar. They're summoned to enhance and aid the goals of their summoner. Their thoughts and feelings come secondary. That's why they're 'Servants'."

"Ah, kid, they're standing right there." Sonic griped, waving at Saber and Archer.

"It is all right, Sonic," Saber said, "For a knight such as myself, my role as a Servant in this War is no different than it was during my life as a human."

Sonic grumbled, and even from the kitchen Shirou could tell that he was not happy. Sonic was clearly a great believer in personal freedom, and the restricting rules of the world- That Mages had to be hidden, and Servants were bound to obey their Masters at the cost of their own needs and wants- obviously grated on him.

_But when your most persistent enemy insists on trapping small animals in machines, it's only natural to develop such feelings, _Shirou thought, _it's too bad that the people of our world aren't as noble as the ones in his world. _

With a sigh, Sonic stood up. "Yo, apron bros, how long until dinner's ready?"

"Only ten minutes," Archer called out, and gave Shirou a look. "It would be faster, but someone insists on stumbling around my kitchen."

"_My _kitchen," Shirou shot back, losing his train of thought. "I'm only letting you help out because it's better than having you annoy Saber or Tohsaka-_san_."

"Yeah, you two have fun figuring that out," Sonic stretched his arms. "As for me, I'm going out for a quick run. I'll be back in time, but don't wait up," He pointed at Tails. "2nd-Lieutenant Tails, you're in charge until I get back. Keep the troops in line, all right?"

Tails gave Sonic a mock-salute. "Aye-Aye, Major-General Sonic!"

Sonic returned the salute and zipped out of the room.

"That… Argh!" Rin groaned, "I hate that Hedgehog! Why can't he get it through his spiky head that he needs to stay hidden!? For our sake, if not his!"

"To be fair, the only times when Sonic has revealed himself is when someone is in danger." Saber said. Though a part of her privately agreed with Rin on the matter of secrecy, she felt should defend Sonic. In a way, his straight-forward approach to life was a breath of fresh air after putting up with two Wars worth of Mage duplicity. And his willingness to defend those in need…if it wasn't for his complete and total disregard for authority, he would make a decent knight.

"Unfortunately, with the Grail War going on _and _Eggman attacking, everyone in the city is in danger," Rin sighed, "I wish he would take the long view. The exposure of Magecraft would have huge ramifications, and not just on the city."

"I think Sonic _is _taking the long view. Or, a different one." Tails piped up.

Rin looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Tails shrugged. "I've been with Sonic for a long time. He's probably thinking, 'I don't want letting people die to become a thing.'"

Rin found herself unable to respond. Not wanting to let people die…yeah, she could understand that. But it was a childish viewpoint. What good was saving one person if your actions could cause death of hundreds, maybe millions, further down the road?

And then Archer's thoughts appeared in her mind. _If you really believed in that, why did you save Shirou's life? After all, that amulet had power that could have helped you win the War. What's one hopeless fool's life in comparison to a power that could destroy the world if left unchecked?_

Rin sent a mental rebuttal back. But looking around, she realized that she was alone on this point. With a sigh, she rested her head on the table.

"Oh, who cares anymore?" She asked the world in general, "He's already appeared on TV, what's the worst he can do now?"

* * *

In a secluded location at an address that was classified, Agent Stuart reviewed the findings he and and Dr. Twice Pierceman had discovered in their investigations following Dr. Eggman's attack on Homurahara Academy. The two of them had been very busy since then, although their work consisted mostly of organizing evidence gathered from the investigations surrounding the mysterious events occurring before the great fire. The reason this needed so much effort was that due to said fire, most of the findings from those cases had been burned into nearly-unrecognizable ashes. And for some reason the detectives running investigations at the time inexplicably suffered from memory loss at key moments, and so their reports had been woefully inadequate. Other parts involved keeping track of the people Stuart put under watch.

But, slowly but surely, progress was being made. A girl from the Einzbern Family that Kiritsugu married into recently entered Japan around the same time his old assistant moved into Shirou's homestead. However, while Illyasviel had used official, well-documented channels, there had been no record of Saber arriving Japan, legally or otherwise. Interesting.

From what he could find, Kiritsugu's wife Irisviel had been one of the casualties of the Great Fire. After her death, Kiritsugu had separated from the Einzberns and became a full resident of Fuyuki, adopting one of the few survivors of the Fire, Shirou, as his son. (The rest, who remained at the church of Fuyuki, died of 'natural causes'. _That _wasn't suspicious at all.) Up until his death five years ago, Kiritsugu would leave the country for 'business'. Among the nations he visited was Germany, where the Einzberns held their secluded residence. And recently Shirou, Saber, and Illya had made contact.

_Something is happening here_, Stuart thought, _I just wish I knew what. _That was when Twice showed up. "Anything new to report?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Twice said, and gestured. "Take a look."

Twice was Stuart's partner for their investigation. Originally, the two of them had been assigned to look into the mysterious deaths and fainting spells that had been reported by the media as the result of 'gas leaks'. Due to the surveillance footage of Tohsaka Rin and Matou Shinji at the sites of these so-called 'leaks', Stuart had been given the job of assistant teacher at their high school as his cover. Twice, meanwhile, was put in charge of a clinic to treat those who had survived the 'leaks' in hopes of finding a sign of poison or toxin in the victims. Unfortunately, his examinations had found neither; it was if the life had been forced out of the unfortunate. Essentially, the two of them were going in circles.

Amazing how much one blatant terrorist attack could change.

It had taken some creative interpretations of evidence to get the increase in resources and manpower. Luckily, the appearance of the mysterious hero who had appeared at the school (Dubbed 'The Bug Queen' by the media) allowed Stuart to convince his superiors that Eggman and the alleged 'gas leaks' were in fact connected; traces of surveillance footage from ten years ago, as well as random eye witness reports showed that strange, costumed people had been lurking around Fuyuki in the days leading up to the Fire. Notably, someone who wore the same kind of dress that the Bug Queen wore had been sighted at the docks and warehouse district.

After the robot remains had been gathered, Twice along a small army of technicians had been working tirelessly to analyze the technology. And they had learned much.

"…It's far more advanced than anything any country should have," Twice said as he led Stuart to his computer. "I mean, this is stuff that we would only be able to make several hundred years later."

…But not the ones that mattered, apparently.

"I don't care how good it is," Stuart said, rubbing his temples. "We're supposed to find out where it came from, and what they're looking for."

Twice turned on his monitor and began to type. "As far as we can tell, these robots are equipped with short-range energy trackers, of some sort. It's only a guess, but my theory that this 'Chaos Emerald' Eggman is looking for is some sort irradiated mineral, like uranium.

"Now, look at the findings we got when we combined Eggman's tech with our own."

A map of Fuyuki appeared on the screen. Several blinking circles appeared at various points on the map.

"Whatever power Eggman is looking for, it's being detected in several locations all over the city," Dr. Pierceman explained, "I've already sent teams out to examine the areas. We just need to wait for their findings."

"If they come back at all." Stuart pointed out. He had already recognized some of the locations, and none of it boded well to him.

First off was the Ryuudou Temple. According to his reports, the only residents there was the temple master's son, Issei, another acolyte by the name of Kazuki Souchirou, and his wife-to-be. Kazuki was currently on-file as the main suspect in several assassination cases, but there hadn't been enough evidence to convict.

In the center of another area was the Tohsaka Mansion, home of Tohsaka Rin. While the Tohsakas had a clean-enough record, the sudden murder of Rin's father Tokiomi ten years ago, followed by the death of his Aoi years later had left Rin an orphan. Not a good sign. The whole affair made her the ward of Father Kotomine Kirie, the priest of the local church. Normally, that wouldn't be suspicious at all, as the Tohsakas and Kotomines had been friends since the days when the former family were secret Christians, but the church also had an energy field present.

The Matous, whose manor also showed up on the radar, was the source of many a dark rumor. So many members had died of 'perfectly natural causes.' So far, the only members still alive were the clan patriarch, Zouken, his grandson Shinji, and his granddaughter Sakura.

And last but not least, the Emiya property. Not only had Kiritsugu been suspected of involvement in several terrorism cases, but during his short life in Fuyuki, had developed a rapport with the Fujimura Group, a local _yakuza_.

Speaking of local problems… "We still haven't found Bazett McRemitz," Stuart mentioned to Twice. "Did she mention anything during her stay in your clinic?"

Twice frowned. "…No. I've reviewed the footage a hundred times. She didn't say anything about her plans after being discharged," He looked up, thoughtful and perturbed. "It's odd. I don't actually remember anything about her stay. If I hadn't reviewed the tapes from the bugs, I would never have realized that there were holes in my memory. From what I can tell, Bazett clearly did something to me…like hypnosis, or whatever. But that would be…"

"Crazy?" Stuart guessed, "Twice, considering what we've seen in the last two days, I think we may need to redefine the term."

"I wonder if I should still be part of this investigation," Twice murmured, "The more I think about it, the more I feel like a security risk."

"Oh, cut that out," Stuart scolded, "I'm not letting you duck out of this that easily. If I had to deal with strangely-dressed vigilantes, robot armies and living mascot characters on my own, I would just give up and declare martial law over the city."

Stuart looked away from the computer towards the wall. Like many other investigators, he had a pegboard covered in numerous clues, such as newspaper clippings and photographs. Not the most elegant-looking means of organization, but it was useful when he got tired of staring at a computer screen all day. He found his eyes drifting towards the photograph of Sonic, mugging the camera.

_I bet you know what's going on_. Stuart thought.

* * *

"Rolling around, at the speed of sound…" Sonic sang to himself as he raced down the empty streets. As he ran, he programed his communicator's timer. _I bet I could go around the city in five minutes, tops._

Sonic had no real destination. He was a wanderer by nature. To be expected to sit in one place was not his style. He did it whenever he needed to rest his feet, but once the novelty of had worn off, the journey would begin. Besides, there was still so much of the city he hadn't seen. And with most of the people indoors to avoid any possible attacks, he could do a little sight-seeing without possibly attracting trouble.

"_Aaaahhh!_" A voice in the distance wailed.

_Aw, my guidance counselor was right, I _can't _go less than five minutes without getting mixed up in something! _Sonic thought as he raced towards the scene.

Up ahead he found a young lady backed into a corner, he body shaking in fright. What had cornered so badly gave Sonic pause; it reminded him of the creature that 'attacked' Lancer the other night, only much bigger and with more fangs and tentacles. It reared up, and lunged at the lady. There was a flash of blue in the darkness, and the thing hit a wall.

Several feet away, Sonic set the woman down. "You okay? It didn't get, uh, invasive, did it?"

The lady squeaked, her mind trying to come to grips with what was happening. Before she could muster a more coherent sentence, a shrill shriek filled the air…and it didn't come from her mouth. The attacking creature had sprouted another set of sharp teeth, only these were connected to a vocal chord.

"No way," Sonic gasped, "Years of adventuring and I finally meet a monster that actually gets uglier by the minute!"

Apparently, the thing must have understood Sonic, for it lunged, leaping high in an arc to pounce on the Hedgehog. It would take at least three seconds to reach its intended destination. For Sonic, that was more than enough time. Within that three-second-time frame, he zipped over to an alleyway, grabbed the lid off of a garbage can, and returned in time to smack the incoming monster. As the creature was knocked back, Sonic struck it again with a Homing Shot, grinding the monster into oblivion. Once he was done, Sonic took a moment to rub his head.

"Man, I hope I didn't get any of that in my fur." Sonic muttered, and bent down to look at the creature's remains. Something about the whole experience felt very familiar…

Looking back at the woman he saved, Sonic asked, "Hey, lady! I'm new around here, so I gotta a quick question…"

"Yes?" The woman asked.

Sonic scratched the back of his left ear. "I don't suppose anyone's blasted the planet to pieces recently, did they?"

She looked at Sonic as if he had just sprouted a second head. "No."

Sonic shrugged. "All right, cool," He looked around. "Look, where do you live? I'll take you home."

"I…" the woman pointed down the street. "It's on the other side of the river. I got off at the wrong station and…"

"Cool, hang on."

Before the woman even had time agree or protest, Sonic scooped her up and ran off into the night. In doing so, he was reminded of someone whose first meeting involved this action.

_Hope you're okay, Amy…_

* * *

"We're almost to the church," Bazett said, "Are you ready?"

"Wouldn't be here if I wasn't." Amy replied.

For Bazett, the day had unnervingly peaceful. She and Any had spent the previous night searching for that Shadow man, time that would have been better spent looking for Sonic (in Amy's opinion) or preparing to face Kotomine (in Bazett's opinion). The only trace they could get of the former was a hysterical woman shrieking about a Tanuki invading her bedroom. Hypnotizing her into forgetting that and repairing the window was actually the least stressful part of that day. Giant robots, Tanukis, superheroes, and monster-making men...

The only remotely pleasant aspect of that evening had been the Rings. Once all of the madness had died down and she was sure that all of the abominations had been wiped clean, Bazett realized that somewhere in the course of their adventure in the Special Zone, she had managed to pick up a few gold Rings. While they weren't a Chaos Emerald, they weren't completely useless, either. As Amy described, the Power Rings would protect the body of the one carrying them from being damaged(though, as Bazett found after an unfortunate meeting with some broken glass, pain was entirely different matter). And after a little experimentation, Bazett had discovered that the Rings could be used to replenish a small percentage of her own Prana. Both qualities would be needed for the fight against the Priest of the Holy War.

Going after Kotomine in the face of every other problem had been Amy's idea. Her logic was that instead of worrying about the others, they should focus their energy on the one they could solve easily.

"We don't know where Sonic is, we don't know where Eggman is, and we don't know where that shadow guy went to," Amy had said, "But we do know where Kotomine is. Let's kick his butt and get Lancer for you!"

And Bazett had to agree. With the situation in Fuyuki escalating the way it was, she and Amy would need help solving it. Lancer would be able to search the city better than either of the ladies, and depending on what he had seen, might already have intel on where Amy's friends were. Defeating Kotomine was now a necessary step towards fixing things.

And tonight was the best night to make an attempt at it. Kotomine had sent out a message for a meeting between Masters. From what Lord E-Melloi II had mentioned during his rare expositions on the 4th Holy War, when overseer Risei had called for a gathering, the other Masters had only sent familiars in their place. That meant Amy could scout out the church, and if Kotomine noticed her presence entering the Boundary Field surrounding the church, he would (hopefully) assume it was a familiar coming by to hear his message. The darker part of Bazett told her Amy was nothing more than bait to flush out the treacherous priest. Bazett forced that notion down, insisting to herself that Amy's job was just to case the premises, and the only reason she wasn't doing it herself was because her high Prana levels would put Kotomine on-guard. Still, she Reinforced her eyes as much as possible to keep her friend in sight.

Amy soon returned with no sign that she met any trouble.

"I couldn't get a good look through the stain glass windows, but I think Kotomine's by himself, mostly." Amy reported.

"Mostly?"

Amy fidgeted. "Well, I think I saw some birds or something. The lights were pretty low."

Familiars. "Was Kotomine talking?" Bazett asked.

"I think he was just wrapping up."

Bazett considered her options. She made her decision. "We're going in. I'll go in directly, while you move around in the shadows. He'll sense my entering his Boundary Field and go out to confront me."

"What do you want me to do?" Amy asked.

"You stay on the sidelines and provide support. And keep an eye out if anyone comes by," Bazett said, "I don't think any Masters will be stopping by if they've sent their Familiars, but it never hurts to be cautious."

Amy nodded. "Got it," She whipped out her Piko Piko Hammer. "Let's do this thing!"

"And what exactly are you planning to do?"

The girls whirled about. Standing directly behind them was a young man, who appeared to be Bazett's age, if not a few years younger. He was dressed in black, with a white coat covering it. Blond, with red eyes, his features were undeniably handsome. However, there was something about his demeanor that both Bazett and Amy found discomforting.

But what bothered Bazett the most was the huge reserve of mana she sensed within him. No human being could achieve that level of power…not a normal one, anyway.

"My, my," The man chuckled, "I wonder why a pair of lovely young ladies are doing, skulking about in the bushes like thieves." His eyes narrowed, while his smirk widened. A moment later, said eyes focused on Amy, causing his expression to go from 'unpleasantly upbeat' to 'innocently surprised'. "Oh! One of those tanukis that have been appearing throughout the city!"

Amy rather weakly held up a finger. "Actually, I'm a hedgehog…"

But the newcomer wasn't listening. "I have to admit, I've been looking forward to finding one of you myself. Your blue friend has become quite the local celebrity, if not a bit obnoxious. However, keeping track of him is a bit of a chore. Kotomine will be very happy to hear I've found one."

Bazett felt a cold flash within her. "You know Kotomine?"

The blond looked at her suddenly. In an instant Bazett made her features neutral, but it was too late. He had seen the fear on her face. And it didn't take a genius to figure out what two girls hiding in the bushes were planning.

"Hmmm…I can't but feel that I've seen_ you_ before, woman," He said, giving Bazett a discerning look. "Something about you feels…familiar…"

And Bazett knew what that was. Given the large volume of Mana this man had, he was undoubtably connected to Magecraft. And if he was on friendly terms with the corrupt Church official, there was a very good chance that he knew something about the Holy Grail War…including the fact that Bazett was supposed to be Lancer's Master.

But the man shrugged. "Oh, well. It doesn't matter who you are, really," (Bazett did not feel relieved.) "What I _would _like to know…" A swirling vortex of golden light suddenly appeared at his side. "…Is what you're capable of."

_Something _shot out the vortex. With reflexes developed from many battles and other absurd adventures, Bazett and Amy were already throwing themselves clear of the projectile before it even fired. On a street corner far away from the church, a street light exploded.

"What the heck was that for!?" Amy shrieked, half-angry and half-terrified. She went to all-scared when she saw that another vortex had appeared, now pointed at her. With an "Eep!" She jumped out of the way as yet another bolt of glowing death rocketed at her. She just barely avoided it, and behind where she used to stand a good portion of a building's wall became a wall surrounded by crumbling rock.

With rune-powered muscles, Bazett threw herself at the blond Mage (He was a Mage, right?). She had to capitalize on his momentary focus on Amy and end the fight quickly. Even though they were a fair distance from the Church, only a deaf man wouldn't hear the sounds of collateral damage- and Kotomine would. There was no way she and Amy could fight their current foe _and _a former Executor at the same time. She had to finish this, now!

But mere seconds before her fist could reach his face, red eyes turned to meet violet. And in that moment following, something hit Bazett and sent her flying. Rings exploded from her body, and the Enforcer's nerves felt like they had been set on fire for precious seconds that felt like hours.

But she was alive. And where there should have been a large gap in her abdomen was only a mild bruise. Remembering what Amy told her about the Rings' properties, Bazett desperately tried to grab them before they vanished. She managed to snatch up three.

A fourth was taken by the red eyed man.

"The same thing happened with Lancer…" He murmured, holding the gold ring to close to his eyes. He glanced down at Bazett, and then looked over at Amy. "I had thought it was a power unique to Sonic, but it seems these Rings are the key," _They do not exist in my Gate of Babylon…_ He thought, and said, "In any case, when a king wishes for you to die, it is not in your best interests…to disobey."

Red Eye jumped back, putting both ladies in front of him. Behind him, multiple golden vortexes appeared, their ethereal light turning his form into a silhouette. They seemed to blot out the sky behind him.

Bazett sucked in her breath and gritted her teeth. This was going badly. Whoever their attacker was, he was clearly at a level beyond normal humans- even a Dead Apostile couldn't achieve this kind of power. There was only one way to save her and Amy's lives- a trump card passed down through the McRemitz family. However, using it cost a lot of Mana- power she was planning to use against Kotomine. But Bazett had no choice.

_Even if we escape, this guy will tell Kotomine about us, _Bazett thought, _And Kotomine will use Lancer to kill us with a Command Seal. I'll have to kill him and wait for another chance to go after Kotomine…!_

Meanwhile, Amy had brought her hammer ready to swing. Although there was a slight tremor of fear in her arms, her eyes were steady and narrow with determination. She was clearly scared, but unwilling to let their haughty foe see it.

But before anyone could do anything, a presence appeared. A tall figure, easily twice the size of the blond man, stepped up. In the blinding light of the vortexes, it was near-impossible to see their features. A pair of lights for eyes stared at the blond. He noticed, and turned his attention away from the ladies.

"And what, pray tell, are you supposed to be?" He asked as the gold swirls vanished.

With the return to normal levels of nighttime illumination came a better look at the newcomer. It was a robot, a tall and lanky one, colored in different shades of purple. It's eyes were like ping-pong balls, and there was a small spike jutting out from between and beneath them, like a nose. On the back of their head a long tube-like thing could be seen, bringing to mind a coonskin cap for some reason. On its back was some sort of elaborate, hi-tech rifle.

**E-2764 "Davy Sprocket"**

Davy looked the blond man over. It glanced at Amy, Bazett, and went back to the blond. Its thought processes went thusly;

_Amy Rose detected__

_attack?…maybe__

_subject: masculine woman__

_probability of possessing a Chaos Emerald: 54%__

_subject: blond man with red eyes__

_probability of possessing a Chaos Emerald: 99.9999999999%__

Having come to that conclusion, Davy walked over and gave the the blond man a punch.

"Gah! How dare you!?" Blondie shouted, reeling back in shock more than pain. "I mean, what was that for!? Jeez!"

Amy took that moment to jump at the blond, hammer in motion. She wasn't even halfway to her target when another golden vortex appeared and shot at her. Rings rained down as Amy was sent flying.

"_Aauugh_!" She screamed as she landed in Bazett's arms.

"That was pretty reckless," The Irishwoman scolded, "Are you all right?"

"Kinda…" Amy groaned as Bazett set her down, "That felt like running into a spike times a million…!"

"Maybe we should retreat…" Bazett murmured, but before she could put those words into action, another shot from the blond man's vortexes grazed her side. "_Ahh!_"

"Bazett!" Amy cried, grabbing her friend to keep her steady. Her eyes widened when she saw the blood coming out of the wound.

"I'm not done with you yet." The blond man said coldly. Because he was glaring at Bazett and Amy, he didn't see Davy coming at him. The robot reached out towards Red Eyes…

_twing!_

…And plucked out one of his nose hairs.

"_EEEYOW!_" The man screeched, his voice causing several windows to shatter.

Davy held up the hair to its eyes for further scrutiny. A bright light drew the robot's attention. Looking up from the hair, it saw that there were now _one gigantic _golden vortex high in the air. It was easily larger than the previous wall of swirls by leaps and bounds.

"_What the Hell was that for?!_"

* * *

Further down the road, Orbot and Cubot floated towards their intended destination. Following the destruction of Humpty in the residential district, the two robots decided to follow another energy signature detected in the current area. Eggman had already sent another Sub-boss to investigate the area. Hopefully, Davy Sprocket would have already leveled the place. All Orbot and Cubot would have to do is pull the Emerald from the wreckage.

"We're almost there," Orbot said as he examined his radar, "According to the local directory, there's a church built on the site."

"Does that mean we might be desecrating a holy object?" Cubot asked, "Should we watch out for bolts of lightning?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Orbot replied, "If that sort of thing happened, Dr. Eggman would have been electrocuted years ago. Remember that time one of his missiles tore up that monastery?"

"Well, just because it didn't happen on our world, doesn't mean it can't happen _here_," Cubot pointed out, "What if divine retribution is a thing here?"

Orbot stopped. "Well…"

Before he could finish, two people rushed by him. It was Amy, who was helping Bazett limp away as fast as her injured body could allow.

"Run away!" Amy shouted as she half-carried Bazett.

"…Wasn't that Amy?" Orbot asked, watching them go.

"Never mind them!" Cubot yelled, looking around the corner of a building. "Check out _that!_"

Orbot followed Cubot and looked. Up ahead, an endless barrage of lights were pouring out from a glowing hole in the sky. The lights were blasting Davy Sprocket, knocking the tall robot around like an inflatable punching dummy. A fair distance in front of Davy, a blond man was shouting like the audience of a Jerry Springer show.

"Die! Die! Die!" He raved, "Suffer a thousand deaths for your idiocy!"

"Good grief!" Orbot gasped.

That got Gilgamesh's attention. He stopped yelling, and coincidentally, the hail of destruction stopped. He glanced over in Orbot and Cubot's direction.

"Is someone there…?" He murmured aloud.

Panicking, Orbot and Cubot ducked out of sight. Quaking in fear, they put their hands over each others' speakers in a desperate attempt to stay quiet. Gilgamesh turned around and began to walk towards that building. But as he moved, Davy Spocket, battered, dented, and cracked in numerous spots, staggered to its feet. Shaking, it took its rifle and prepared to aim at Gilgamesh. A massive energy built up in its barrel. But just as it pulled the trigger, Davy's left leg gave out. The barrel of the rifle pointed down and went off.

BOOM!

Davy Spocket was blasted back and crashed into the church building. As it struggled to it's feet, it ended up bringing down the wall.

Gilgamesh looked back at the robot with disdain. "…How pathetic."

The golden swirl appeared again, and bright light shot out of it and struck Davy Sprocket straight in the chest. The glow surrounding the projectile vanished, revealing that it was an ornate sword with a jeweled hilt. That too vanished after a few moments. Davy Sprocket, having taken so many similar hits, couldn't take it anymore. It's metal body began to explode. Naturally, this did nothing to help the structural damage the church had suffered when the robot flew into it. The steeple cracked, and began to fall apart.

It was at that moment that Kotomine came out. He had heard the ruckus earlier and watched as his partner blasted _something _into oblivion from the safety of the windows. When he saw the robot rocketing towards the church, the priest was forced to retreat to the lower levels for safety. He returned in time to see his beloved church now a broken shell of its former self.

After his talk with Rin, he had no doubts that the robot was here because of the Boundary Field surrounding the church. But repairing the damages…Kotomine clutched his head as he realized the repercussions of the incident. It was one thing to hypnotize officials into ignoring and excusing the events of the Holy War, as repairing the places and things destroyed by the fighting was never really his responsibility. This time, he would have to pay for the church's reconstruction himself!

As Kotomine tried to figure out which portion of the church's budget he'd have to murder to raise the funds, Gilgamesh strutted back up towards the ruined church. He gave a piece of metal a bitter kick. His left nostril still stung from having a hair forcibly removed. When he got closer to the church, he saw Kotomine staring at him.

Gilgamesh asked. "My room wasn't affected, was it?"

Kotomine groaned, and resumed massaging his temples. "I don't suppose your vaunted Gate of Babylon can pay for the reconstruction, can it?"

Gilgamesh pointedly looked away. "I suppose…after all, normal insurance policies don't cover robot attacks, do they?"

_"Excuse me."_

_Kirie Kotomine was a busy man. Besides preparing for his duty as the Church-appointed overseer of the Holy War that was due to occur next year, there were also more mundane business he had to attend to. In this case, it was renewing the insurance policy on the church building itself. Due to an unfortunate accident, the business that normally provided insurance had gone out of business, so Kotomine was forced to switch providers._

_Currently, he was going over the terms as listed in the contract. Before him, a representative of the insurance company waited for him to finish and sign._

_Kotomine pointed at one paragraph. "What exactly is this?"_

_It was a claus labeled, 'Giant-robo explosion claus'._

_"Oh, that," The insurance rep shrugged, "That's in case a giant robot explodes near the building. It's a bit expensive, but it never hurts to be prepared, right?" _

_Kotomine rolled his eyes and pushed the contract back. "I doubt I'll be needing that."_

Kotomine groaned and clutched his forehead. He couldn't even muster a reply to Gilgamesh's question.

Gilgamesh, amused by Kotomine's discomfort, had already forgotten about everything else that had happened.

* * *

"What the heck was _that!?_"Cubot cried as he and Orbot hovered as quickly as their propulsion units would allow.

"I wish I could tell you," Orbot said, "All I know for certain is that before his destruction, Davy Sprocket transmitted the data it had obtained during its search to my Eggman Electric." He pulled out the computer he had earlier and began to check the input. "According to this, that blond fellow was in possession of an exorbitant amount of Chaos energy. More so than the Bug-"

Bonk!

Orbot was so busy reading the transmission that he wasn't watching where he was going. In doing so, he had run head-first into a mailbox. Groaning, he backed away.

"Watch your step." Cubot suggested helpfully.

"Thank you." Orbot replied. He would have included sarcasm, but experience taught him that his counterpart's audio receivers weren't advanced enough to pick up on such subtleties.

"Two sub-bosses in one night," Cubot remarked, "You wanna tell the doc?"

"I'm sure he already knows," Orbot sighed, "Let's go check on one of the Egg Pods and see if it's ready for retrieval. At least we can get _something _out tonight…"

* * *

"So, how many did you get?"

Back at the Emiya Estate, Shirou was telling the rest of the group about his close encounter with the Special Zone. He would have liked to wait for Sonic to return, and for Illya to leave before expositing about his experience, but the little whisp of a Master hadn't forgotten about the strange event- nor was she willing to leave what happened a mystery. She forced Shirou's hand with one simple question;

"_Onii-chan_, did that ring earlier have something to do with these guys?"

And so, doing his best to exclude information about the Chaos Emeralds Shirou displayed the Power Rings he had gathered while in the zone. A quick count revealed that he managed to take twenty-six.

"Hmm, so these are the things that Sonic used to fight Lancer with…" Illya mused, holding one up. "They don't feel that powerful. I wonder how they can withstand a Noble Phantasm?"

"You know what happened between Sonic and Lancer, Illyasviel?" Saber asked.

Illya gave a short laugh. "Of course! I had a familiar follow you guys back after we first fought. I didn't want _Onii-Chan _to die before I killed him," She flashed Shirou a sweet-as-snake-venom smile. "Only _I _have the right kill you, _Onii-chan_."

Shirou gulped. He had mixed feelings on that statement.

And judging from the way Tails had shivered, the fox felt the same way. "Uh, but you're not planning to kill anyone _now_, are you?"

Illya shrugged. "During dinner? After the movie he treated me to? What kind of barbarian do you take me for?"

Shirou felt a slight sense of relief. So far, it seemed like Illya wouldn't restarting the hostilities…for now.

He and Archer had finished making dinner. The two, with tentative amounts of cooperation, were now setting the table. As everyone sat down, their eyes were drawn to one empty spot at one end.

"…Sonic's not here," Shirou said, "Should we wait a little bit more…?"

"Sonic said we should not hold back on his behalf," Saber said, a bit too insistently. "If he is late, than that is his misfortune. Let us put it aside for now. When he returns, he can heat it up-"

Whoosh! And Sonic was in his seat.

"I'm back!" The Hedgehog declared, "So, am I late-late, or just fashionably late?"

"You're just in time, Saber was about to eat your portion." Archer commented, earning a deadly glare from both the lady knight and her Master.

"She's not the first girl to make a grab for my plate." Sonic replied, thus turning Saber's stern gaze from Archer to himself. Rin joined in, if only out of principal.

Wanting to avoid the outbreak of another argument, Shirou quickly filled Sonic in on the Special Zone. To his surprise, Sonic didn't seem too bothered about it. Shirou thought that the Hegehog would have been upset to learn that he had lost a chance to retrieve a Chaos Emerald (Although he didn't say so in front of Illya), but Sonic was surprisingly casual about the news.

"It's no big deal," The Hedgehog said, twirling his chopsticks. "Special Zones reappear after a few days. And Eggman's robots can't navigate them either. Let's check out the spot again later."

…_I'm glad Sonic's taking this so well, but I wonder if we can afford to be so laid-back? _Shirou thought, _I just hope another Servant doesn't stumble upon a Special Zone…_

"Is there a key to finding…Special Zones?" Rin asked, "I mean, does their placement follow a pattern?"

"Usually depends," Sonic replied, "My opinion, they just pop up in places nobody usually goes to, like caves or unused rooms."

"Great," Rin groaned, "With our luck, another Servant might find one before we do…"

"On the other hand, we're probably the only ones who know what the Zones are," Archer pointed out, "Even if a Servant were to stumble into one, they might not figure out what's going on."

Everyone was silent as they took that in. Illya in particular was suspicious. While she was genuinely flattered that Shirou had asked her out on what wanted to call a date (With Saber tagging along regardless), she didn't believe that her _Onii-Chan _was being completely straight. It was clearly obvious that the others were hiding things from her. But she wouldn't press the subject for now. She could find out later…

"By the way, shifting gears, but I ran into a weird creature while I was out." Sonic commented.

"What?" Shirou asked, breaking away from his worries.

Sonic waved his hand. "It looked like this…starfish-octopus, or something. With lots eyes. I destroyed it, but it looked like…"

"Like what?" Saber asked, her eyes narrowing.

Sonic stopped, and drummed his fingers on the table in thought. After a few seconds of doing so, he asked, "It didn't feel like a real animal- and after I was finished, it just vanished into smoke. Any ideas?"

"It sounds like a familiar," Illya commented, "But none of the ones that went to answer Kotomine's summons looked anything like what you described."

Though they didn't know it, Saber and Rin were thinking the exact same thing. Sonic's description of his encounter brought to mind of similar encounters during the Fourth War; Monstrous creatures, that would kill and abduct anyone who couldn't get away in time. The foul summons of Bluebeard, the Fourth Caster.

_It's impossible, _Saber thought, _But…could some foolish Mage have summoned that horrific Caster again? _

Archer, meanwhile, had other worries. _That doesn't sound like anything that appeared during my run through the Fifth War. Dr. Eggman, that shadow-guy, and now strange familiars…What next?_

_What else is going to appear?_

* * *

_This is so boring, _Lancer thought as he leapt across the rooftops of Fuyuki, _I wish something would happen that Kotomine can't drag me away from._

By the time Lancer had returned to Fuyuki, the Servant's mood had gone into the negatives. Having his battle against Sonic cut short again was bad enough, but a chance to rumble with Archer almost made up for that. However, that fight too had been halted, due to his Master's cowardice.

Now it was back to old grindstone…reconnaissance. Or, more accurately, (To Lancer) 'hiding in the shadows and watching while everyone else fights to their fullest.' After getting a taste of action from Sonic, Lancer's bitter feelings towards this tactic had not lessened. If anything, the brief skirmishes only whetted Lancer's for straightforward battles. Unfortunately, Kotomine had forbid him using a hostage to lure Sonic out again, claiming that it might expose Magecraft. Lancer figured that by now, _something _had been exposed- people just weren't sure what word to call it.

A noise like a car blowing up below brought Lancer out of his thoughts. Stopping on the roof of an abandoned building, he stayed in the shadows to observe while remaining unobserved. On the streets, a small red figure was standing over a pile of flaming metal. As Lancer focused, his eyes widened, then narrowed, on the sight beneath him.

_Another one!_

* * *

Knuckles blew on his fist. There was something about punching a robot into scrap metal that was oddly therapeutic. And this Echidna definitely had some steam to blow off. So far, his search for the Chaos Emeralds were proving to be extremely fruitless. Not that he hadn't been able to find anything. Instead, what kept happening was that he kept getting signals that were like seemed to lead him to strange areas…and then vanish. It was incredibly confusing and frustrating. The only way the signature of a Chaos Emerald could disappear would be if it was taken off-planet (A possibility, depending on the local space program), or if it had vanished into a Special Zone. Knuckles himself had done just that, back when he had first met Sonic; Believing the Hedgehog to be a villain, Knuckles had taken the Chaos Emeralds and hid them in Special zones that had appeared on Angel Island. And it wasn't as if doing so wasn't difficult, all one would need to do was throw a gem, or several, into a Special Zone gateway. But for that to work, one would need to find said gates first, and from what he had learned from the occasional conversation with Caster or Asassin ("Those are weird names," Knuckles had commented) was that Special Zones were not a normal thing in this world. Knuckles had been able to find the ones on Angel Island easily enough due to knowing the landscape. What kind of person could find Special Zones in a matter of days?

…Well, Sonic could, as well as anyone who could keep up. But that was neither here nor there.

_Gah, my head is starting to hurt, _Knuckles mentally groaned, _I either need a lucky break, or something else _to _break._

It was at that moment Knuckles saw it. Lying on the ground, practically undisturbed by the recent demolition act committed by the Echidna, was a coin. Knuckles blinked. Then, he shrugged and walked over to it. The tiny piece of currency wasn't the stroke of fortune he wanted, but he knew that every little bit helped. He bent over…

_Whoosh!_

…Just narrowly missing the spear tip as Lancer thrust it where Knuckles' head was.

"Dammit!" Lancer swore, "I cannot catch a break!"

Knuckles quickly noticed Lancer's presence and reacted jumping onto his hands and kicking the spear away. Lancer kept hold of it, but in doing so became left a huge opening- one that Knuckles went for. A gloved, spiked fist slammed into Lancer's chest, sending the taller man back a few steps.

"Augh!" Lancer gasped, his voice strained from the wind going out. "You hit a lot harder than Sonic ever did!"

"Sonic?" Knuckles asked, "The Hedgehog? Where is he?"

Breathing out the pain, Lancer stood up. "Hell if I know. The way that guy moves, he could be in Hokkaido by now."

"You don't have to tell me that," Knuckles said, grinning. His smile lasted for only a second. "So what's your deal? You just want revenge on me for what happened between you and Sonic?"

"Kinda," Lancer went into a fighting stance, "Let's just say that you sneaker-wearing tanukis are kinda messing up this War I'm in. Sad to say, you guys have got to go."

"I'm not going anywhere without the Chaos Emeralds." Knuckles retorted.

That was all the talk that was needed. Both men were impatient from their lack of success in their chosen fields, and could not hold themselves back any longer. The two charged at each other and the clash began. Thanks to his spear, Lancer had the longer reach and the advantage and with his speed quickly put Knuckles on the defensive. Thankfully, the Echidna's reflexes were good enough to keep himself from an unpleasant skewering. Instead of trying to catch the weapon, he used his fast punches to disrupt the path of the blade away from his furry chest. However, Lancer kept pressing his strikes, pushing Knuckles back. Behind them, a building was coming up. It wouldn't be long until they bumped into it.

_Once we hit that wall, he's mine, _Lancer thought, _I just need to avoid hitting the wall... _

Knuckles saw what was coming, by looking directly into Lancer's eyes. Reflected off of the iris' was the front. Seeing that, Knuckles quickly formulated a plan.

_I've gotta do this just right, _Knuckles thought, _Otherwise I'm gonna look pretty stupid with a hole in my chest…_

As they got closer and closer to the building, Knuckles put his plan into motion. As Lancer jabbed his weapon forward, Knuckles caught it with both hands. Then, he used the momentum to flip the spear up and throw Lancer behind him. This would have been painful enough, but the front of the building was a shop, and Knuckles' maneuver had sent Lancer right through the display window. A few bits of broken glass fell on the Echidna as Lancer's body took the full brunt of the destruction.

With Lancer briefly disposed of, Knuckles broke the spear over his leg. Or tried to. But a Noble Phantasm is a tool for a being beyond human understanding- it would not even bend.

"Ow! What's this thing made of?" Knuckles muttered, and with the grace of a Olympics athlete during the javelin toss, hurled the thing down the street.

The minute he did, Lancer leapt out of the store, his body a mess of cuts from the glass. The Servant glared at Knuckles, his eyes now a blazing red, as opposed to the normal even stare.

"I'm starting to hate you sneaker-wearing spirits." He growled.

Knuckles threw a punch, but Lancer dodged it and made a charge for the garbage can the spear had impaled. As he ran, he vaguely heard something that sounded like a piece of wood being run through a power saw. His mind didn't process that noise, as most of it was focused on getting the spear back. After his first battle with Sonic, Lancer had become rather protective of his namesake weapon. But just as it was millimeters from his fingertips, something rammed into Lancer that reminded him of his fights against Sonic.

Lancer and Knuckles went tumbling off of the street, a tangled mass of flailing limbs. The ball of violence rolled into an alley, up until Lancer kicked Knuckles away, sending him through a ground-level window. The Servant felt a small measure of satisfaction when he heard Knuckles' grunt of pain mixed with the sound of glass breaking. Knowing he didn't have long, Lancer rushed back, grabbed his spear, and then dove through the window after Knuckles. The opening led to a basement of sorts. It clearly had been unused for some time. There were some cardboard boxes, a some pieces of debris, and a fine layer of dust.

It did not have an Echidna.

"The hell?" Lancer looked around in confusion. "Where'd he go?"

As far as the Hound of Chulann could tell, there was no sign of Knuckles leaving. There were no holes in the wall, and the only door was untouched. He couldn't even sense any lingering traces of Magecraft, so it wash't as if Knuckles had teleported away. Perturbed, Lancer poked around the boxes, almost expecting to find his red opponent tucked away somewhere. When his half-hearted search yielded nothing, Lancer decided to try something new.

"Oh, he vanished," The Servant said loudly and deliberately, "I guess I should just leave…"

Walking as slowly and deliberately as possible, Lancer turned and made his way back towards the window. After five steps, he heard a rustle of movement. Whirling about, Lancer's eager grin dropped when he saw that it was just a box he moved falling over. Annoyed, he left the basement back through the window, resuming his patrol of the city.

Seconds passed. And then, a minute. Once three minutes and twenty seconds drifted by, a light appeared in the room. In its brief flicker of existence, it formed a ring in the air, and through its hole deposited Knuckles onto the floor before vanishing without a trace.

"Crud!" Knuckles slammed his fist onto the floor. "So close, too! Where do those spike-balls even _come _from?!"

Sighing, Knuckles stood up and glared at the space where the Special Zone gate used to be.

_Oh well, finding one Special Zone is a step forward at least. And I managed to get some Rings out of this, _He thought, _I'll just have to come back in a little bit._

Knuckles pulled himself out of the window and looked around. He didn't see Lancer anywhere. The street was as empty as it was before the Servant attacked him. The stillness both worried and relieved Knuckles.

_Laughing boy probably didn't see me enter the Zone…I hope, _Knuckles thought, _it would be a real pain in the tail if some nut like him found a Chaos Emerald…_

Knuckles wandered off into the darkness, continuing his search for the Chaos Emeralds. He was not fully aware of the dangers within the city. He knew of a few, but not enough to matter in the long run. He knew about the Badniks wandering about, grabbing small animals for Eggman to transform. He knew about dangerous people like Rider, Archer, and now Lancer lurking about. He did not know that Caster was watching him.

%Break%

Caster did not always monitor Knuckles. Fuyuki was a large city, and she needed to keep tabs on the other Masters and Servants. She especially had to watch over teams Saber and Archer- their close contact with Knuckles' friends would no doubt be trouble if not handled properly. The Emiya boy's attempt to befriend the tiny Einzbern girl was equally troubling.

But she was glad to have watched over Knuckles this night.

_So, _that _is a Special Zone…_she thought, her eyes gleaming under her hood.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_**Tiger Dojo**_

**Taiga: **1, 2, 3, 4, go! Blast off! It's Tiger Dojo! At the command is your instructor, Fujimura Taiga!

**Illya: **Co-piloting is Illya, the Number 1 Student!

**Taiga: **We're nearing the end of..

**Illya: **Waaait! The story's almost over?! How can that be?!

**Taiga: **Don't interrupt!

_(Whack!)_

**Illya: **Oww!

**Taiga: **I was saying, we are nearing the end of the _first arc! _The 'Sonic in Fuyuki' Arc! We are reaching the turning point in our story. Only one or two more chapters to go until everything changes!

**Illya: **Just a little bit more, huh? And how do you know about that? Aren't you just making stuff up to sound smarter?

**Taiga: **How dare you doubt your _sensei! _

_(Whack!)_

**Illya: **Arrgh! L-let's just answer the questions, all right?

**Taiga: **Our first comes from…huh, there's no name. Anyway, the letter says, "Do you consider _Sonic and the Black Knight _canon or not? The answer to that is yes! We are considering all of the games canon, in one way or another!

**Illya: **Except for the ones spun off of the Sonic Boom cartoon, for obvious reasons.

**Taiga: **The next question is from Thunder Dragon; "What is up with Rin's treatment of Tails and the gang?" Hmm, an interesting query, worthy of this hall…

**Illya: **It's because Rin is a barbarian, of course.

**Taiga: **Nooo, nooo, that's not it. Despite the image of perfection she presents to her classmates, Rin has a great deal of emotional baggage buried within her. Being raised by a mocking jerk like Kirie probably didn't help. The only thing she could really depend on was her Magecraft. However, the appearance of Sonic and his friends have thrown any expectations of a Holy War she prepared for out the window. Like most traditional Mages, Rin has been raised to rely only on Magecraft. Sonic and his friends, however, are making strides with their advanced technology that Rin was taught to have no faith in. Being a classic _Tsundere_, Rin cannot properly express thanks for their aid, and is actually a bit jealous of how quickly the rest of her team, Shirou, Saber, and Archer, are adjusting to them. As such, all of these pent up feelings will come out in bursts, for now. Don't worry, I'm sure that as the story goes on, the walls around Rin-_chan_'s heart fade away, allowing our dear _Tsundere _to love freely!

**Illya: **But if she did, she'd no longer be a _Tsundere_, would she?

**Taiga: **…The Dojo is now closed! See you next time, my students!


	8. Whirlpool of Fate

Chapter 8: Whirlpool of Fate

_Whack! Pow!_

"Uhh!"

"Do you yield?"

Gasping, and his body sore, Shirou looked up at his opponent. Saber stood above him, a kendo tool in her hand. Off to the side, Sonic absentmindedly made another mark on a small chalkboard. The mark was the 33rd under the word 'Saber' that had been written on the top-left portion of the board. On the right was 'Shirou' under which had no lines. Instead, some deft hand (Connected to a set of blue quills) had drawn a not-too-flattering doodle of a face making a pained expression.

Nonetheless, Shirou stood up, gripping own training sword. "I'm not beaten yet." He said in a challenging voice.

Saber sighed. "Shirou, the point of these sessions is to instill you with proper battle instincts- One such instinct is knowing that a tactical retreat may be in order. Fighting until the bitter end may be romantic, but needlessly getting yourself killed, or even just mortally wounded, will not accomplish anything."

"If I'm going to get killed anyway, It wouldn't matter if I'm standing or running, would it?" Shirou asked as a counter.

"What you gotta think about is, '_where _am I standing or running to?'" Sonic put in helpfully.

After dinner last night, Illya had thanked '_Onii-chan_' for his hospitality, and even invited him to visit her private castle. And while Shirou wanted to believe his attempt at a ceasefire between his own alliance and the little Master had at least, the other girls and Archer were very vocal (After Illya was no longer in earshot) in their own collective theory that if Shirou _did _make such a trip, he would probably never return- at least, not with the same number of limbs he started out with. That, in turn, evolved into a discussion on how serious Shirou was taking the dangers of the Holy War. Saber concluded that her Master needed _more _training- which meant that sparring sessions happened _after _dinner as well as before breakfast.

Which led to the present. While Team Archer and Tails had returned to the Tohsaka Mansion, Sonic elected to once more stay behind and 'supervise' Team Shirou. And with that same cheeky smile, asked Tails to do the same, turning Rin's cheeks red.

Once morning came around, so did another training session. In another universe, these periods would be terse occasions. With Sonic, however, the lessons came with a color commentary, and they were not soothing colors, either. And while Saber's patience for jokes and quirky comments, as befitting a hero of legend, was high, Shirou was only a human. And therefore, he couldn't stop himself from retorting;

"If it's as easy as that, why don't _you _show me how it's done." And with that, Shirou tossed his training sword.

"Sure, I'm game."

Shirou hadn't really been surprised to hear Sonic accept the challenge. After all, this was the same Hedgehog who had thrown himself into duels with the likes of Lancer, Rider, and even Berserker. What the ginger mage hadn't been expected was for Sonic to expertly swing the sword around in a few practice chops that no rookie could do.

Saber was just as surprised as her Master. "Sonic…you know how to use a sword?"

"Oh, sure," Sonic replied, "It's not my style, but I once got sucked into a storybook and became King Arthur."

"What?!" Saber almost dropped her own sword in shock. Composing herself, she asked, "Sonic, are you saying that _you _are the King Arthur of your world?"

Sonic shrugged. "Eh, it was a one-time deal," At both Saber and Shirou's odd looks, he said, "Look, weird stuff happens to me. You think this is the first time I've been punted into another world? I once took a nap under a tree, and when I woke up, I was in this inter-dimensional tournament thing," He tapped his head thoughtfully with the _shina_. "I think that happened twice."

Shirou got over his stupor rather quickly. "So I guess the Holy War is nothing special to you, huh, Sonic?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to make light of your problems," Sonic said, "It's just, if you're a hero long enough, you become a magnet for all kinds of crazy things. You either learn to deal with it, or…"

…_Or you die a hero's death, _Shirou finished mentally, _No, not even that. If you die, you can't help anyone… _-An image of adult staring up at the night sky flashed through his mind- _…and you're no hero._

Shirou looked into Sonic's eyes, and in that moment felt something. Truth be told, he had no idea of what age Sonic was supposed to be at. He had built up this image that the Hedgehog was roughly around his age, the way he acted like a rowdy teenager. But looking into those green eyes, and Shirou suddenly felt that there was a gap between them…one that could only be built by years.

"Okay, enough nostalgia," Sonic decided, and took a dueling stance, directed at Saber. "_En guard, mon cherie!_"

_A King Arthur using French…I feel betrayed, _Thought Saber as she took her normal stance, _But if he really did hold the title of King Arthur at least _once…Her eyes briefly met Shirou's. _That would explain a great deal._

Misinterpreting Saber's gaze, Shirou took it upon himself to act as the match's referee. He lifted one hand. "Ready…" He began to swing it down. "Begi-!"

"_Senpai_?"

Shirou jumped. _Sakura! _

Shirou rushed for the door of the training hall. He saw the purple-topped figure approaching, and felt a rush of worry. He had to get out and intercept his underclassman, otherwise she might see Sonic!

Shirou turned around to tell Sonic to stay in the hall, only to see that the Blue Blur had vanished. Saber pointed up, and upon looking, did a double-take. Sonic was up on the ceiling, using two _shina _to prop himself.

"Good morning, _Senpai_," Sakura greeted, almost tripping over her feet as she arrived. "Wha…what are you and Saber-_san _doing?"

"Just a morning workout," Shirou said, positioning his body to better block the door. The less Sakura saw of the training hall's interior, the less likely she would discover Sonic. "Are you doing all right?"

"O-oh, yes, I'm fine," Sakura said, and Shirou knew that was a lie. "I've just been having some trouble sleeping, that's all."

"Shirou," Saber said, walking up besides him. "I believe we have trained enough. Please clean yourself up, and we'll have breakfast."

"…All right." Shirou knew he had to move quickly. "Sakura, give me a few minutes."

It was probably the fastest Shirou had ever taken to get bathed and dried. He rushed it simply because he wanted to get to the kitchen and help out with breakfast before Sakura could do all of the work. Saber was equally fast, though he suspected it wasn't to help set up. Unsurprisingly, Taiga showed up as well as soon as preparations were finished and the rather unorthodox family was eating. As the meal went on, Shirou took a moment to privately reflect that his bruises from training weren't healing as fast as they were during the spars. He noted that there seemed to be an inconsistency with how quickly his body healed…

"…So, you know that robot that was supposed to have attacked the neighborhood last night?" Taiga was asking in between bites.

"Yes." _I've got parts of it in my storage shed. Maybe I'll make a bird-feeder out of them. _

"What about it?" Saber asked.

"Well, it never showed up, right?" Taiga went on, "Don't you think that's a bit weird?"

"Er, ah, yeah, that is strange!" Shirou agreed desperately. It didn't occur to him until then that wiping out Humpty so completely within Boundary Field would cause more questions than letting it rampage in public. The lack of public closer might lead people to notice Magecraft…

"Well, that's because it did a U-turn and attacked the church!" Taiga proclaimed.

"What?" Taiga's words got the attention of both Master and Servant.

Taiga nodded. "Mm-hmm! I heard all about it from one of Grandpa's men! In fact, they might be talking it about right now…"

Taiga switched on on the TV. After a few minutes of surfing the channels, she found the news station. As a news reporter blathered on, workers could be see in the background either dismantling the robot, checking the damaged church-wall, or just keeping bystanders from getting too close and interfering. From the gist of the report, no one was hurt by the attack, though what destroyed the robot was unknown.

Shirou had mixed feelings on the event. While it was unsettling that Dr. Eggman had attacked the neutral zone for the Grail War, the truth was…he didn't really like Kotomine. There was simply something deeply unsettling about the priest. It was a bit petty, but the sneering way Kotomine talked about all of the death and destruction caused by the Grail Wars set Shirou on edge. And Shirou felt this strange emptiness whenever he was in the Father's presence, something that was both repulsive and yet distantly familiar…

"Why do you think it went to the church?" Sakura asked.

"Dunno," Taiga admitted, crossing her arms in thought. "I figured one would come here because of Grandpa's connections, but it's not like that creepy priest guy has anything worth taking."

Shirou and Saber's eyes met. A moment later, Saber's eyes briefly glanced at Shirou's hand, where his Command Seals were. Somewhere in the inner recesses of his mind, Shirou's brain processed the faint sound of little feet rapidly running off. Sonic was on the move, possibly to investigate. By now, Shirou was no longer worried about the Hedgehog being spotted. As Rin had said last night, there wasn't much a second sighting would do.

_I wonder if Tohsaka has heard about the church. _Shirou thought.

* * *

Rin _did _know about it.

Even though there was no cable service, or even a television at the Tohsaka Mansion, she heard about it. In an attempt to better locate Dr. Eggman's base of operations, Tails had begun to use his Miles Electric to tap into local news feeds in hopes of getting information that might help in the search. That's how they learned about the incident at the Church.

Rin found this very unsettling. Especially since the news had interrupted an thaumaturgical experiment she was doing with the Power Rings Shirou had found. Still, she decided that it was best, as the Mage's Association's representative in Fuyuki, that she should check up on the situation. And since Kotomine was technically her legal guardian (She would _never_ use the term 'step-father'), no one would find her coming to the church remotely suspicious.

When she arrived, most of the robot had been taken away, but the church was still crawling with workers. Local police and military had arrived, and were working together to keep civilians away from the scene. Inside the church, she could hear sounds like power-tools and other movements.

_Archer, can you tell what's going on in there? _Rin asked her Servant.

_Give me a minute, _Archer replied, invisible to all but her. He moved towards the church, and after a few minutes returned. _From what I can tell, the workers are both checking on how to go about the repairs, as well as searching the church._

_Searching… _Rin mused, _They must think that a Chaos Emerald is there, even if they don't know what it is._

_That was my thought, _Archer agreed, _Eggman basically announced to the world that he's looking for one._

_How's Kotomine?_

Archer thought about his answer. _As far as I can tell, he's got the situation under control. Keeping people away from the more obscure parts of the building is a bit of a hassle, apparently._

Archer was tempted- and not for the first time- to just warn Rin then and there about Kotomine's true nature, and the evil he was planning to do. He especially wanted to do something about those miserable, malformed prisoners Kotomine kept to refuel Gilgamesh's Prana. But doing so would mean revealing his own identity, as well as his true nature as a Heroic Spirit. And that was a can of worms that Archer didn't have time to deal with, not with someone like Dr Eggman on the loose.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something blue on a rooftop. For a moment, he thought it was Lancer and instantly dissuaded that notion. If the spearman was watching, he would be doing it in his astral form. Instead, he realized that it was none other than Sonic The Hedgehog, no doubt having heard about this incident himself. Archer decided not to tell Rin, she had too many other things to worry about as it was. Besides, getting her riled up was losing its thrill.

While Archer mused, Rin marched right up to the church grounds. Before she could even take four more steps, a construction worker put himself between Rin and the building.

"I'm sorry, miss, but this area is off-limits for today. All unauthorized personal must leave."

"Father Kirie happens to be a member of my family," Rin said, sounding as innocent as possible. "Can't I go and see if he's okay?"

"Ah, the Father is fine, he's just being questioned by the investigators," The worker explained, "But no one else is allowed in until we've determined that the area is safe."

"What are you looking for?" Rin asked, using some hypnosis.

The man's eyes glazed over. "We're searching for the source of the abnormal energy this area is saturated in."

Rin's eyes widened for a moment, then she resumed her controlled expression. "All right, sorry for taking your time."

After taking a moment to modify the worker's memories so he wouldn't remember their little conversation, Rin walked away. Archer wondered how she would respond to this intel. He saw Rin push up her sleeve, revealing the communicator she had gotten from Tails. She began to fiddle with the controls, and quietly began to curse from an apparent failure to achieve her intentions.

_What are you doing?_

_Gah, stupid…I'm trying to call Tails on this idiotic thing, but it won't do anything! Technology is so worthless…_

Archer tried to keep his message as free from snark as possible. _It might work if you _turned it on_. That switch on the side. _He added helpfully.

Rin shot Archer an annoyed look, and continued to fiddle with the watch-like device. After a few minutes of watching her struggle, Archer helpfully gave her a step-by-step tutorial on how to make a call.

"_Tails, here._"

"Tails, it's Rin. Call Emiya and Sonic and relay this message."

"What message? What's going on?"

"I've got a plan to take care of Eggman once and for all. I need all of you to meet me and Archer at the following location…"

As Rin spoke, Archer glanced back at the church. He wondered where Lancer was…

* * *

Lancer was bored out of his mind. Rather than having him go about and continue his observation of the Holy War-slash-hunt for Sonic, Kotomine had called Lancer back to the church in order to help keep the government squads from discovering the church's hidden chambers. While Lancer wasn't sure what Kotomine had that was so important to hide (Heck, he didn't even know the church _had _hidden rooms!), he still did his duty by telepathically alerting his Master whenever a worker got to close.

At this moment, Lancer wasn't really paying attention to his post. Like every other watchman in a dull place, he quickly became distracted. Luckily, Kotomine didn't notice, as he was still arguing with the insurance contractor whether or not the robot crashing into the church was covered by the policy. Drifting about, Lancer saw one worker hunched over on the floor. Curious, Lancer, invisible to all, looked over the man's shoulder. The worker had pulled a tile loose and put a hole in the floor. Now, he was fiddling with some kind of high-tech device. Although the Holy Grail had granted Lancer a decent summery of things within the current era, the Servant didn't recognize the machine. He could only guess that it was some kind of radio, judging from the speakers on its side.

_What the heck is that? _Lancer wondered. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted another investigator on a cell phone. The answer came to him in an instant.

Whenever something outlandish and Magecraft-related happened in Fuyuki, Kotomine would be one of the ones going out to hypnotize officials to report the events as a hallucination or mundane accident. But even if you convinced the public, there would always be one person who would be suspicious. But even if they had suspicions, without solid proof, it wouldn't matter what they thought. And so the cycle had gone on. Things happen, Church and Association cover them up, and suspicious people would grumble.

And then Sonic and Dr. Eggman happened. They were loud, in-your-face, and most of all, _blatant_. The only way to cover them up would be to cast a memory spell over the entire city, and no Mage alive today had that kind of power. And even if they did, the news feeds had already ready been posted online by dozens of eager nerds. Their very presence had viewers questioning everything they thought they knew about their world. Although no one really understood it yet, the veil of secrecy was _gone._ The old excuses were no longer holding water. The people wanted _real _answers.

And so, it came as no surprise to Lancer that some official decided now was the perfect time to go to the home of the ominous, shifty-looking priest and plant _a monitoring device._

But after all of his recent troubles and humiliations, Lancer was in no hurry to tell Kotomine.

* * *

After receiving Rin's message from Tails, Shirou and Saber were quick to excuse themselves from the Emiya home. Shirou felt bad about leaving the dishes to Sakura, but recent events had convinced him that staying in one place without backup might prove disastrous. It would be a nightmare if a robot attacked the neighborhood again. He couldn't take the risk of Sakura getting hurt.

On their way to the pre-determined meeting point, the Master-Servant team took a mild detour. It was towards the movie theater Shirou had taken Illya to the previous day, though more specifically, the alleyway near it.

And there it was, just it had been yesterday. The entrance to the Special Zone, floating and spinning in the air like a wind chime in a lazy breeze.

"It's back, just like Sonic said," Saber noted, looking at her Master. "But we can't leave it like this."

"Yeah. Even if robots can't enter the Special Zone, real people can," Shirou agreed, "Worse, if a Servant or a Master were to find this, they might be able to use its power to get an advantage in the War." No point in putting it off. "I'm going in."

"Wait, Shirou," Saber said, holding out her hand. "Perhaps I should go in. As a Servant, I'll have a better chance of navigating the Special Zone..."

"...Than I would?" Shirou finished, a trace of bitterness in his voice. "That's why I have to be the one to go in."

"...Shirou?"

"Look, I know I'm the weakest member of our alliance," Shirou said, "If it hadn't been for you, Sonic, and the others, I would have been killed even before this War began. You guys do so much...please, Saber. Give me the chance to make a contribution on my own."

Saber did not look particular moved by Shirou's words, but after a moment, she relented. "...All right, if it's that important to you, Shirou. I will wait here for your return."

Shirou smiled, and nodded. Turning back to the giant ring, the red-haired Mage took a running start and dove right into the golden loop. It vanished, and Saber was left alone.

Minutes passed. During that time, Saber found herself wondering at the way her Master went through life. It was so forward and open. A far cry from the way traditional duplicity of hereditary Mages, especially Kiritsugu. If it had been him, that assassin would have tricked someone else to enter the Special, while waiting in the shadows to kill and rob them when they returned. Shirou, on the other hand, was a welcome breath of fresh air with his sincere honesty. While he had a slight density towards the capricious nature of Mages, it was more out of a hope for their better natures- even if they did not exist.

_Shirou wishes he could be a hero, _Saber thought, _If it were not for my duty to my kingdom, I would gladly hand him the Grail's wish._

Saber's musings were interrupted by a flash of light, during which there came the sound of a body hitting the street. The Servant wasn't too worried, as she had experienced something similar the day before. Once the light faded, she saw Shirou sitting despondently on the pavement. He had a look of disappointment on his face, but no Emerald in his hand.

"I couldn't make it to the end." Her Master grumbled, bunching his fists. Saber could see something glittering between his fingers.

"You managed to retrieve more Rings for us to use, Shirou," Saber said encouragingly, "And by entering the Special Zone today, it'll prevent anyone else from finding a Chaos Emerald."

"I suppose that's something…" Shirou sighed, standing up. He dusted himself off and pocketed the Rings. "I think I got at least twenty this time, though," He handed a few to Saber. "Here, take them. At least I can supply you with Prana this way. I only need one for my protection."

Taking hold of the Rings, Saber concentrated. She felt their power enter her body, and her own Mana increase. Each Ring only added a small amount, but it was more Prana than Shirou would be able to give her on his own. Normally, the bond between Master and Servant allowed the Master to supply their Servant with the Mana they need to exist in the world. Unfortunately, Shirou's skills as a Mage were so minuscule that Saber was forced to fight with her own personal reserves. The Rings would prove to be a useful asset. However, she saved a few Rings just in case of an emergency…

"We should go meet up with Rin." Saber said.

* * *

The Fuyuki harbor in Shinto was the place Rin chose for the alliance to meet up.

Sonic was the first to arrive. To his surprise, the entire place was completely empty. He had expected to see at least one or two boats, but the waters were free of vessels. Several crates that had been unloaded from previous shipments dotted the surroundings. The Hedgehog zipped around, taking care not to be spotted by harbor security. He spotted a crane and sprouted a smile. A desire to swing around by its chain had swelled up within. He heard someone coming and ducked into a warehouse.

There was an Egg Pod. Plain as the day outside, an Egg Pod was sitting in the center of the warehouse. A fence consisting of police tape surrounded it. Suddenly, Sonic knew why the harbor had been abandoned. Investigators wanted the area off-limits until they could figure out how an Egg Pod had been placed.

However, it irritated Sonic to realize that the Egg Pod was still closed. _I mean, I can hear the critters crawling around in there! _Sonic was about to hit the button on the top when his communicator beeped. "Yo."

"_Hey, Sonic!_" Tails' voiced chirped, "_We're all here at the docks. Where are you?_"

"I'm in one of the warehouses," Sonic replied, "Just watch for the critters."

"_Critters?_"

Sonic jumped up and pressed down on the Egg Pod's button. The container opened up, and several dogs, cats, and other small animals flooded out of the machine. The warehouse was briefly filled with a mild cacophony of barks, yowls, and other noises. Sonic watched it all impassively. Eventually, they realized that the door was open and left, after which Saber entered.

"You were right, Tails, he is in this one!" The Servant called out, and approached Sonic. "May I ask what that was all about?"

"Just doing my part to keep the peace," Sonic said, hopping down. "Oh, and, uh, watch your step. I don't think some of those critters were housebroken."

Saber blinked, and proceeded to look at the floor _very _carefully. After the rest of the team showed up, Sonic filled them in on the Egg Pod and its purpose.

"So, the Badniks were putting the animals they took from all over the city in this thing," Shirou concluded, "But why put it here? Wouldn't make more sense to hide it to keep someone from messing with it."

Sonic shrugged, "Hey, I'm not complaining. Makes it easier for me, that's for sure."

"I don't think we should expect sensible actions from a man who tries to conquer the world by sticking animals in robots." Archer remarked.

"The fact that there was something like this here actually works in our favor." Rin stated.

"What do you mean, Tohsaka-_san_?" Shirou asked.

Rin nodded and pointed dramatically into the air. "We're going to take down Eggman once and for all!"

While Rin wasn't expecting a lot of fanfare for her proactive declaration, the blanks looks she got in return was too subdued a reaction. Her mood soured even moreso when Sonic began to tap his foot at sonic-speed, and the noise began to bounce off of the warehouse walls.

"Annnd we're going to do that, how?" The Hedgehog asked, "What, you expect to Eggman to come here and let that happen?"

"Yes, actually," Rin said peevishly, "Look, we all know that Eggman is attacking every place that has a sufficiently large amount of Prana around it- mostly those were more than one Servant is residing -so, we can set a trap for him."

"But why here?" Tails asked.

"There are several reasons," Rin explained, calming down. "One, the harbor is mostly isolated point compared to the rest of the city. I've already hypnotized the staff here to keep them away from the site. It'll take a little bit, but after I've set up a Boundary Field, we'll be cut off from the city. We can crush Eggman without any interference from the military."

"And even if Eggman doesn't show up himself, by having the battle at the shoreline, we limit how far his forces enter Fuyuki," Saber guessed, "This is the foothold we need to guard in order to protect Fuyuki."

"Precisely!" Rin smiled.

"Better hope a ship doesn't come in." Sonic pointed out.

"There won't be," Rin assured, "I already checked the shipping schedules. Nothing is due to come in today or tonight. We've got the whole day to ourselves."

"So you're big plan is to just wait for Eggman to show up?" Sonic asked, "Sounds boring, if you ask me."

"And what about the other Servants and Masters?" Tails put in, "Shouldn't we get their help, like from Illya and that Shinji guy?"

"I don't think it'd be a good idea to trust them," Rin said, "Remember, the Fake Priest just put a reward Eggman's _and _your heads. We can't take the chance if either one turning on us at the last minute to get it."

_Are you that's because _you _want to claim those Command Seals? _Archer asked, and was promptly ignored.

"I'm going to set up that Boundary Field," Rin announced, "Everyone, go outside and keep an eye out for or either Eggman's forces, I need a few minutes alone to set up the Boundary Field.

"And then, all we need to do is wait."

* * *

"I'm _done _waiting!" Dr. Eggman snarled, jumping out of his chair.

Cubot held up his hands imploringly, "Just a few more minutes, doc! And then…"

"No! That's what you said a few minutes ago!" Eggman stomped over to where Cubot was. "I want my breakfast burrito _now!_"

"But…"

Ignoring the yellow robots protests, Eggman snatched the aforementioned pastry off of the still-warm plate and stuffed into his mouth. With speed that would make Sonic green instead of blue, he chewed and swallowed his meal, then smiled with satisfaction. The smile dropped and his mustache drooped as Eggman's cheeks turned red. He began to wave frantically.

"Hot! Hot! _Hoottt!_" Eggman shrieked.

"I toldya it still needed to cool off s'more." Cubot said, and got cuffed in return.

A computer began to beep, and Orbot reported, "There's been an energy spike, sir."

Eggman inhaled a pitcher of ice-water, which lowered the raging heat wave in his mouth only slightly. "What?"

"The sensors are picking up a surge in abnormal energy on a coast of that city," Orbot explained, "It could be a Chaos Emerald reacting…or one of those super-powered kids we've been finding."

"Hmm," Eggman sat back in his chair. "Better check it out either way."

"All right, which sub-boss do you wanna send?" Cubot asked, and began to shuffle a deck of cards. "Or how about we let fate decide?"

Eggman smacked the cards out of Cubot's hands. "Would you cut that out? I'm going by myself on this one. Can't throw a giant robot at every problem!"

Cubot stared at Eggman in shock. "…Who are you and what have you done with Dr. Eggman?!"

"I concur," Orbot said, "Are you sure it's wise to go unattended?"

Eggman smirked, "Oh, don't worry. I'll be bringing plenty of Badniks to make. But a Sub-boss would attract too much attention. I'll think I'll go with something a bit more…_subdued._"

* * *

As it turned out, the Waiting Game was nothing when you had a portable computer with games uploaded onto it. And so, to Rin's deep frustration, the men of the group were hunched over the Miles Electric (Currently used by Tails) as melodious background music blared over its speakers.

"I can't believe you have your own video game." Archer deadpanned, watching the familiar blue figure bounce around on the screen, collecting rings.

"What, this? Just a little leftover from Sonic-mania," Sonic shrugged, "After I saved the world the first time, _everyone _wanted a piece of my pie."

"I still have the lunchbox and thermos set," Tails remarked as his fingers danced over the buttons, "It's in my workshop back home."

Saber stood off to the side with Rin, excluding herself so the pigtailed Mage wouldn't be completely isolated. She could tell that the Master of Archer constant state of aggregation was caused in part to how quickly her own Master, as well as her Servant, had gotten along with the outsiders. Besides, she had to talk to Rin about something.

"Rin, may I ask you a question?" Saber began.

Rin glanced Saber out of the corner of her eye. "Hmm? What is it, Saber?"

Saber paused, taking a moment to choose her words carefully. "…We know because of Sonic that other worlds exist. What I would like to know is… What if the same person from two worlds existed in the same one?"

Rin looked at Saber the way you would a man who just grew a second head. "…_What?_"

Saber decided to try another tack. "Let us assume, for example, that there is a Shirou in Sonic's world. And it was _that _Shirou who came to this, our world, not Sonic. What do you think would that result in?"

Saber's revised question did not alleviate Rin's confusion much. The effects of inter-dimensional travel…as much as Rin prided herself on her skill and knowledge of Magecraft, that was something beyond her reckoning. In truth, the only one who could provide an answer with even a semblance of accuracy would be the famous ancestor, Zelretch, who supervised the formation of the Heaven's Feel. But contacting the Master of Second Magic was nigh impossible…

But it wasn't Zelretch Saber had asked. It was Rin. And so, the young Tohsaka Master steeled her resolve to provide the best answer she had available.

"…If two of the same person appeared in the world at the same time, it would be seen as giant paradox," Rin said at last, "The world they're in would try to eliminate correct, and both of their abilities may be…wait." Rin's voiced dropped to a whisper.

"What is it?" Saber whispered back, _A paradox..._

"Someone just entered the Boundary Field," Rin said in hushed tones, and sent the same message telepathically to Archer.

Nodding, Archer bent down and said quietly to Tails, "Pause the game and switch to the radar. We might have company."

"Okay," Tails did so and the screen on the ME switched to…static. "Gimme a minute, I think being inside the Boundary Field is messing with the radar," He made a few adjustments and the image focused onto a map of the dock. "Okay, lemme widen the view…"

The screen zoomed out. The entire dock area was surrounded by a circle, which was apparently the Boundary Field.. Several several dots were on one end of the dock, which was supposed to be the group. At the edge of the Boundary Field on the other side of the dock, two dots had just crossed over.

"Race ya." Sonic said and was off in a shot.

Rin buried her face in her hand. "I hate that Hedgehog."

The team moved quickly to the site of the intrusion. With Sonic and Tails hiding nearby, and Archer in astral form, Shirou, Saber and Run went to confront the newcomer. Saber changed into her armor, Shirou had Projected a sword (It looked a bit like Archer's, hmm) and Rin had a finger extended to cast a spell. Shirou noticed that instead of a jewel like the one she used during the battle against Arms, there was a gold Ring. Shirou wanted to ask her about it, but decided to wait until after the enemy had been dealt with.

Presently, the enemy had a mop of blue hair that made him look like a wakame. When Shinji saw the trio heading towards him, he was quick to put on a desperate smile.

"E-emiya!" Shinji said tightly. It was clear that the Matou Master hadn't expected to be discovered so suddenly. He glanced at Rin and his expression darkened slightly. "And Tohsaska, too..." It was unclear if it was Rin's presence he disliked, or the fact that it was accompanying Shirou's.

"Shinji, what are you doing here?" Shirou asked. He didn't see Rider anywhere, but that didn't mean she wasn't there. The purple-haired Servant could have been in astral form herself.

"I was just checking this place out," Shinji replied, his eyes darting every which way. Shirou wondered if he was looking for someone in particular. "There was a Boundary Field, y'know..." That's when someone tapped his leg.

"So YOU'RE Shinji!" Said Sonic, who could move very quietly for someone who thrived in spectacle.

"_Gah!_" Shinji yelled, jumping. Rin clutched her forehead for the second time in ten minutes.

"So, where's Rider?" Sonic asked, completely unpertubed by either reaction. "I've got a PSA on personal space she needs to hear."

Shinji looked back and forth between Sonic and the other Masters, making noises like a clogged pipe trying to flow water. Shirou realized that if he didn't act quickly, any civility that could be had would be lost. Maybe a display of proper manners would help prevent a fight.

"Sonic, this is Matou Shinji, my classmate," Shirou introduced, "Shinji, I'd like you to meet Sonic the Hedgehog," He then added, "He's from another world."

"Uh…nice to meet you." Shinji replied, giving Sonic an uneasy look. He then looked back at Shirou and hissed, "Another world?!"

Shirou shrugged. At this point, he didn't care if no one else believed it.

"Shinji," Saber said, "Have Rider present herself. We are not here to have a battle."

"O…only if Tohsaka has her Servant appear too!" Shinji insisted, "How do I know that Archer isn't somewhere planning to snipe me?"

"That is totally something he would do," Sonic agreed, "But I doubt it. Not any building tops to look cool on."

Archer materialized. "That's not true. I look cool wherever I am."

Rin shot looks of annoyance at both Sonic and Archer before leveling her gaze at Shinji. "Happy, Matou? Now it's your turn."

As if by Rin's command, Rider resumed physical form. She stood next to Shinji, looking just as aloof but stoic as she had during Shirou and Shinji's meeting at the school. An ominous wind blew, causing Rider's purple hair to sway slightly but sexily.

_Damn it, she's really hot._ Rin thought, annoyed that her own sex appeal had been outdone. Aloud, she said, "So, are you going to answer Emiya-_kun_'s question, Shinji?"

"I _told _you, we were here to check out the Boundary Field!" Shinji said. Sonic was now zipping all around his body, giving the blue-haired teenager a stink-eye. It made him nervous and irritated. "After all, that priest said we weren't supposed to fight until this Eggman thing blows over, and- _What!? What is it!?_" This last part was directed towards Sonic.

Sonic held up a hand to block a drop of spit. "You're Rider's Master, right?"

"Yeah…" Shinji replied, taking the time to glare at Shirou for not keeping a secret.

"So, where's your Command Seals?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I don't see them either," That came from Tails, who was now copter-ing towards the group from his hiding space. "Shirou and Rin's have their Seals on their hands. But you're hands don't have any."

Shinji opened his mouth, but no sounds came out. Either it was due to Tails' question, or the fact that a fox-boy had what looked like a furry helicopter on his butt.

"They…didn't appear on my hands," He said at last, speaking slowly. "I can't show you where they are," He shot Rin what he thought was a suave smile. "At least, not until the fourth date."

"_Ugh._" As one, Saber, Rin, Rider, and even Sonic shuddered at this remark. Shirou resisted the urge to roll his eyes, a reflex Archer indulged in, while Tails looked utterly clueless.

Annoyed at the response he got, Shinji said, "Anyway, don't change the subject! If there's not a fight going on, then what are you doing? Didn't Emiya say that Eggman's got this weird magic-radar?"

"That's what we're counting on," Shirou explained, "This is a trap. We'll be ready when Eggman comes."

"Oh…I get it," Shinji said, his usual smug smile returning to his face. "Yeah, all right. I'm in."

"What?"

"I'm going to help you guys out," Shinji went on, "In case you haven't noticed, Eggman nearly destroyed your Servant, Emiya. From where I stand, you guys would benefit from having me and Rider along for the ride."

Shirou wasn't sure how to respond. While he was a bit happy that

"Hmph," Rin said, crossing her arms and regarding Shinji through half-closed lids. "That won't be necessary. We're more than enough to take down that crazy geezer."

"What's the matter, Tohsaka? Afraid I'll steal your thunder?" Shinji asked, smirking.

"More like getting in our way," Rin said, turning up her nose. "This is going to be a serious campaign. I'm letting Emiya help out because he can use some Magecraft, but that's more than I've seen you do."

Shinji's expression darkened. "I think I might surprise you, Tohsaka." He unconsciously reached into the inside of his uniform.

As the two Masters bickered and exchange barbs, Shirou took that moment to take Sonic aside.

"Sonic, you're the one with the most experience fighting Eggman," The red-haired Master said, "Do you think Tohsaka's plan will really work?"

Sonic shrugged. "Eh. Could go either way, but don't get your hopes up. Baldy McNosehair's real good at the 'Exit Stage Left' villain thing."

Shirou didn't respond. And while he didn't see their expressions or postures change, he could tell that the discussion had drawn the ears of the Servants.

Sonic put his hands behind his head. "Besides, it's way too early for a final showdown. We've only trashed three of Robuttnik's big robots, and haven't even found his secret hideout."

"So this is all pointless." Shirou summarized.

Sonic gave Shirou a friendly pat on the leg. "Hey, if this works, it'll be keeping Eggman from hitting the rest of the city. You think _that's _pointless?"

Shirou nodded, feeling a bit of a smile. It was a philosophy he had lived by, ever since Kiritsugu died…no, before even that. Since the Fire, Shirou had always believed that if it was done to help other people, nothing he did was meaningless.

"So, after Fuyuki is saved from Eggman and this Grail War, what are you gonna do next?" Sonic asked.

"…Huh?"

"Any big plans?" Sonic went on, "Like, gonna have a 'We just saved the world' party? Or a beach trip?"

"I…I was just planning to go back to school," Shirou said, blinking confusedly. "I mean, when they repair the damages from Eggman's attack…"

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "That's it? No self-appointed reward? You're just gonna go back to normal, like that?" He snapped his fingers. "Dull, man."

"What do you mean…?" Shirou asked, "What's wrong with a little normalcy?"

Sonic looked Shirou in the eye. "I've noticed that you do a lot for other people…but what have you done for yourself?"

Shirou had no answer. Sonic's words had struck a chord. If it was someone like Tohsaka, or even Taiga saying them, he might have been able to ignore them. In fact, he _had _ignored them…

_Shirou, you work too hard._

_Why don't you relax?_

_Shirou, I'm worried for you._

And why not? They said those things, and yet had no issues with asking for his help anyway!

So why, now that they were coming out of Sonic's mouth, did they have such an impact?

"Something's coming!" Saber's voiced knocked Shirou out of his thoughts. He noticed that his Servant was staring out at the sea. Everyone was looking out in the same direction. Even with Reinforced eyes, Shirou couldn't see anything.

"How in the world can you tell?" Rin asked, "I can't see any boats or planes, or whatever."

"Instinct," Saber replied, "In my time, the sea was the place were our enemies came from. I've developed a nack."

"I hear something," Rider said, "A churning."

Archer Reinforced his eyes and focused on the horizon. He couldn't see anything on the water's surface, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw- _Aha, that's clever._

"I think I see it," the Bowman reported, "Something under the water's surface. It's big, and it's getting closer."

It took a few minutes of staring, but soon even those who couldn't Reinforce their eyes saw the huge shape, blurred by the waves. This excluded Rider, although the churning noise she mentioned before was now audible to everyone, even Shinji.

Incidentally, the wannabe Master no longer had the confidence or dark fury from before. He looked rather like that kid who walked into a board meeting because he thought the door led to the rec room.

"Wha- what is it?" He asked, trying to hide his fear. He fooled no one.

"Betcha that it's a robot sea monster," Sonic said.

"No way," Tails said, "from here it looks more like an underwater attack carrier."

Shirou had the distinct feeling neither of the two Animals were taking things seriously. Rin's eye began to twitch.

"Monster-bot." Sonic insisted.

"Sea-carrier." Tails insisted back.

"'Bot."

"Carrier."

"It's coming up!" Saber yelled, taking out her sword. She materialized her armor.

There was a massive explosion of water as the giant thing broke out from the depths and onto the surface. Luckily, it was far enough from the dock that the gang was able to avoid the waves it created. Except for Shinji, who was standing too close to the edge.

The intruding thing was a submarine, but only in the loosest sense of the word. All along its sides and top were turrets that were probably supposed to launch missiles. The top of the sail had a pair of circular spotlights that eerily resembled a pair of glasses, which had what looked like a giant metallic mustache propped underneath. On the very front was the insignia of the Eggman Empire. But most painful was all was the gaudy yellow color that the entire craft was painted in. It was like the evil twin of a Beetles reference.

Unseen by all, a tiny periscope popped out of the top of the submarine and swiveled towards the group on the dock. The eye using it narrowed.

They all heard the groan of metal. And then they the missiles being fired into the air.

Archer didn't even bother waiting for an order. Projecting a bow, he began to fire at the incoming barrage. His shots hit their mark, filling the air with explosions. However, he couldn't fire in time to hit all of them, and several missiles broke through the clouds of smoke. Leaping up, both Rider, Saber, and Sonic attacked a missile. While Saber sliced hers in half, both Sonic and Rider re-directed theirs away from the harbor, sending the ballistics back into the water. Afterwards, Rider flipped elegantly (And perhaps sensually) back onto the dock end, while Tails flew up and caught Sonic. Saber, meanwhile, just landed on the water, which caused those still on the dock to gawk; the blond Servant wasn't sinking! Instead, she was standing on the water surface itself, as it was canvas!

"Spread out!" Saber ordered, jumping back up onto the dock. "You are sitting ducks if you remain stuck together!"

Meanwhile, the submarine continued its approach towards the shore. Hatches along the sides of the submarine opened up, and out from those ports Badniks of every shape and size shot out and and at the harbor. Those that didn't have aerial components just tumbled through the air, and amazingly enough, landed on their feet (Or, in some cases, treads). Before long the entire harbor was swarming with Badniks.

Sonic launched himself from Tails and took a moment to blast a Buzzbomber out of the sky. As the Hedgehog landed on the dock, the rest of the team did as Saber asked and split up, for what little good it did; The robots were everywhere, and for each one that was destroyed, one or two more took its place. While Sonic and Tails zipped around trashing every Badnik in their path, the Servants stuck with their respective Masters, acting as a partner (Saber), back-up (Archer), or living shield (Rider).

"So," Sonic said as he zipped past Shirou, "Are we just gonna smash 'bots," _zip_ "At random, or-" _zip_ "-we gonna pretend-" _zip_ "-to have a plan?"

"We can't let these things invade the city!" Saber yelled. the battle was causing flashbacks to the constant attacks on her kingdom. "We must route them at all costs!"

"Aye-aye, _mon capitan!_" Sonic flashed a salute and was off in another flash.

Archer, meanwhile, had a different approach to victory, or at least maintaining a stalemate. As he sliced through several Splats, he told Rin, "Rin, find a safe place to hide!"

"Are you crazy!?" Rin yelled, ducking as an Orbinaut shot its spike balls at her. She kicked it away. "Where do you expect me to hide in this crowd?"

"Just find someplace!" Archer retorted, "If you get knocked out or killed, the Boundary Field goes down and eventually the police or military will start to wonder why there's a _war _being waged at the docks!"

* * *

"Agent Stuart!" A man in a suit with sunglasses saluted, "We just picked up a message from Japan's navy; They've detected a large UFO heading towards Fuyuki."

Stuart rubbed his forehead. "Don't tell me. It's going to land at the harbor, where that abnormal energy field appeared."

"That's what they suspect, sir."

"…And what happened to the team that's supposed to scout out the situation?"

The agent looked uncomfortable, even with the sunglasses. "Um, I'm not sure how to explain this…but, every time they've approached the edge of the field, they've been compelled to leave it. In fact, if it wasn't for the automated reminder you programmed into their vehicle, they would have just come back instead of returning…fifteen times."

Stuart sighed. Somehow, he wasn't too surprised. It was already a proven fact that whatever was going on, a form of hypnosis was involved. The fact that the location of the current crisis had been the sight of two separate events in the days before the Great Fire. In the latter one, pilots reported seeing an enormous _thing _that would be more at home in a _kaiju _film, followed by what seemed like an alien flying craft.

"Is the bug I asked for ready?" Stuart asked.

"Yes, sir. The listening device has been installed and is working perfectly."

"_Good_. Have the squad send in a drone from a distance and scope out the situation remotely," Stuart ordered, "And then monitor and record everything you hear at the church."

"Yes, sir," The agent saluted, "May I ask what your actions will be?"

Stuart stood up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of car keys. The key chain was a charm sold at the Ryuudou Temple.

"Let's just say that a good teacher likes to stay in touch with his students." Stuart said, giving the keys a jangle.

* * *

The air at the harbor was filled with robots, explosions, or exploding robots. And Shinji hated every last moment of it. Luckily, the sounds of the explosions and crashing metal drowned out his hysterical, girlish shrieks of terror almost perfectly. Rider's superior hearing being the 'almost', causing her to curse the gods- probably Zeus or Athena -who saw fit to pair her with such a spineless worm of a Master.

For Shinji, the day had gone to the dogs. His initial plan- to spy on Shirou and Rin, and possibly take advantage of whatever they were doing- had been derailed when they caught him. Luckily, Shirou had handed him the opportunity of the lifetime- an invitation to join in on their trap for Eggman. Shinji hoped that while his so-called allies were busy with the giant robot Eggman was supposed to bring, Rider would take care of the mad doctor and secure the Command Seals from Kotomine.

The giant army caught him by surprise, and as such, Shinji changed his priorities to "Escape and with his life". As such, instead of helping with fight, Shinji was putting all of his energy into running while Rider destroyed every Badnik that got near him. Which seemed to be every one, which was more than even Rider's impressive abilities could handle.

"Ahh! Dammit!" Shinji pulled out a book began to flip through the pages. He pointed his free hand at a Coconuts. His shadow shot out and struck the robot, knocking it over. And then Tails bounced off it, breaking the thing, and flew off. From the wreckage came a cat, which ran out between Shinji's legs and almost tripped him up.

"Whoa!" Shinji gasped, desperately fumbling to avoid dropping the book. He actually fell over catching it, but managed to keep the tome in his hands. Shinji exhaled a sigh of relief.

The book he carried was more than a mere tome. It was a magical artifact called the Book of False Attendant; it contained Rider's Command Seals, and allowed Shinji to access Rider's mana for spells. It was Sakura who summoned Rider, forced by their grandfather Zouken. But Sakura couldn't bring herself to put herself in the line of fire, leading Shinji to shoehorn himself in. Zouken didn't care which of his grandchildren secured the Grail, and allowed Shinji to use the Book to gain Rider's Command Seals. Rin was right about Shinji, he _wasn't _a proper Master, or even a Mage. But as long as Shinji had the Book, he could fake it.

And then a Newtron, a robot built like a chameleon with invisibility functions, appeared out of nowhere and snatched the Book out of Shinji's hands.

"Gah!" Shinji yelled, and tried to take the Book back. "No! Bad robot! Give- Uh! It! Back!"

The Newtron just hissed, and proved to have a stronger grip than such a cartoonish-looking thing appeared to have.

"Rider!" Shinji called out, "Help!"

_Why doesn't he just use the Book's power to blast it? _Rider thought as she threw one of her metal stakes at the robot. From the wreckage came a

The sudden destruction of the Newtron took Shinji by surprise. He hadn't expected Rider's response to be _that _swift, and when the robot blew up, he ended up falling over…inadvertently losing his grip on the tome.

"_Aaaarrgghh! Nonononono!_" Shinji wailed, and scrambled after the Book. Showing a level of agility and coordination not displayed before, he and darted around robots, gunfire, and occasionally, a speeding animal-person in pursuit of the tumbling tome as it bounced and slid across the pavement. Much to Shinji's horror, it landed at the edge of the pier, precariously balanced between land and sea. Shinji's horror increased when a Crabmeat walked up and picked the Book up. It regarded the abnormal tome with inquisitive, robotic eyes.

"Boom! Headshot!" Sonic yelled as he zipped by and rendered the Badnik into shrapnel, freeing a parrot. The Book fell to the ground, landing a step and a half away from the flaming wreckage. Shinji let out a sigh of relief.

And then _another _piece of flaming shrapnel fell out of the sky, the remains of a Buzzbomber, and landed directly on the Book. The tome was set on in and became ashes in seconds. Shinji felt a tear well appear in his eye. His jaw began to tremble.

* * *

At the Ryuudou Temple Gate, Asassin looked up from his magazine. After a moment, he resumed reading. It was probably nothing.

* * *

"Whoa! Keep the language PG, pal!" Sonic yelled, rushing by and pulling Shinji away from danger. "There are kids in the audience!"

"_I hate you, Hedgehog!_" Shinji hollered, trying and failing to throttle Sonic.

"Oh, relax," Sonic said dismissively, "(Hey, you're pretty lite) You can get another book off the internet. By the way, where'd Rider go? She just vanished!"

Rider, with whatever ties she had with Shinji incinerated, had chosen to take her leave. After all, it wasn't like she was _actually _his Servant. As robots exploded all around them, Sonic carried Shinji into one of the warehouses. He deposited the now ex-_faux-_Master onto the floor and glanced out a window. At that moment, an Egg Pawn came crashing through the glass and landed right in front of them. Just as the oval-shaped thing struggled to its feet, Sonic shattered it with a Homing Shot. A baby deer ran off.

"Nara Park is that way, little fella!" Sonic yelled helpefully to the departing doe. He turned to Shinji. "Look, I dunno why Rider just bailed on us- Well, you, really. -but why not just hang here until every calms down?" Before Shinji could respond with some profanity, he raced off. "Just stay away from the Egg Pod!"

"...#%$&amp; you!" Shinji yelled after a moment. He turned around bitterly. "What the Hell's a Egg Pod...?"

He got his answer when he saw the oversized, empty container lying in the middle of the warehouse. The police tape had been torn down by the released animals, and there were a few wet spots on the floor around it. Curiosity overtook fear and rage, and so Shinji approached the device. Walking past the police tape, he peered into the empty space.

"Why does it smell like a pet store...?" He muttered, leaning in.

Shinji was also stepping on a wet spot. He slipped, tumbled into the Egg Pod, and hit his head on the central pillar.

And then fate stepped in.

The doors to Egg Pod slammed shut. Panicking, Shinji began to bang on the metal, a feat made difficult due to his lack of room.

And then Orbot and Cubot floated in.

"I don't see why we have to go on collection duty now," Cubot griped, "I mean, how are are we gonna get this thing into the sub without anyone noticing? It's a madhouse out there!"

"We'll just send it through the pad we set up earlier," Orbot replied, and pushed a button on the Egg Pod's side. "I'm sure if we're quite, we can leave this harbor uninhibited."

The Egg Pod hummed, and its stands retracted. A quartet of jets unfolded from other areas of the Pod's bottom. The Egg Pod hovered in the air.

"Boy, I'm sure glad the doc started making these things float!" Cubot chirped as he and Orbot led the Egg Pod away. He guided it on its left.

"Yes, the repulsers certainly make our job easier, don't they?" Orbot replied, pushing on the right. "And thanks to the sound-proof metal, we don't have to hear any noises the critters might make!"

Inside the Egg Pod, Shinji began to cry.

* * *

Outside, the submarine launched another slew of missiles. Archer shot every one down, and then kicked at a Grounder that was rolling up to him. The Badniks had noticed that Archer was the one blasting the salvos out of the sky, and were occasionally making an attempt to stop him. The fact that Archer could kick one with enough force to break a robot apart was one of the reasons why they weren't making a greater effort. The other reason was that the rest of the heroes were able to hold their own against the Badniks, even Shirou. (Rider and Shinji, unsurprisingly, had gone MIA.)

But Archer felt that the battle had reached a stalemate. While all of them were able to fight off the attacking robots, there seemed to be no end to the Badniks. Every time they managed to thin the throng just a little bit, another horde of robots appeared to take their place.

"How many robots does this guy have!?" Archer yelled to Tails, "I feel like we're going to be here until nightfall!"

"Just keep an eye out for Eggman!" Tails replied, swinging around to catch a Crabmeat by his namesakes. "He should be making his appearance sooner or later! Where's Rin?"

"I had her go into hiding," Archer explained, "If something happens to her, the Boundary Field will go down, we'll have another media circus on our hands, and Saber forgot to bring her mask."

"But _where _is she?" Tails asked, "I don't think it's a good idea for her to be alone!"

Archer paused to shoot down another missile. "I had her hide in the nearby warehouse. She should be fine there!"

* * *

"I am _not _fine with this." Rin muttered.

After being forcibly relocated into the warehouse, Rin gone into what was know as The Funk. While intellectually, she knew that it was more pragmatic to avoid a direct confrontation and let everyone else handle the hard stuff. After all, the general tactic for Masters was to allow their Servants take the lead in battles, supporting only from a distance. That was how her father fought in the Fourth War (She assumed).

But huddling in some hidey-hole was not something she approved of. The fact that it was something _Shinji _would do only served to increase her irritation. And if there was one thing Tohsaka prided herself on, it was not being like Shinji. She had felt a presence leave the Boundary Field, which she assumed was the seaweed-headed twerp fleeing the battle like the coward he was. That alleviated her despondent attitude somewhat- while Shinji was clearing bailing, Archer had _forced _Rin to go into hiding. However, the small guilt she felt, for being on the sidelines while her friends- _allies_, the mage within her whispered assertedly, they were only allies of convenience -fought with all of their might, did not deminish. Besides, it was a bit creepy listening to all of the explosions and not seeing what was causing them.

Rin then realized that her fists weren't shaking because of any guilt or anger. They were shaking because the floor was shaking!

The ground erupted, and Rin just barely jumped back in time to avoid being hit by the pieces. What looked like a gigantic drill was poking out of the bottom, and it rose, revealing that it was on top of some metal sphere with robotic legs, which clambered out of the hole like some sort of spider that evolved to mine instead spin webs. The drill split apart, manipulated by smaller arms. They spun around sphere, revealing that it was in fact a vehicle- driven by none other than Dr. Eggman!

"Heh heh heh...According to my sensors, the source of the the energy field is around here somewhere..." Eggman muttered, typing away at his console. "In fact..."

Eggman glanced up, and even from a distance Rin could see his eyes narrow underneath those glasses.

Uh-oh. It didn't take a genius to figure out where this was going. Rin's first instinct was to call for Archer. But Archer was the only one protecting the harbor from the submarine's missiles (Seriously, who put gun turrets and rocket launchers on a vehicle designed for underwater travel?!), if she called him in, however briefly, may be too long before another salvo was unleashed.

But more importantly…Rin wanted to face Eggman on her own. Her ancestors were control the land that would become Fuyuki. The Heaven's Feel was only allowed to take part because of their permission. And even after the city was built, it was still considered their territory, by the Mage's Association, if not by Japan's government. And as the last of the Tohsakas (_Save one_, whispered a dark spot in her mind), Rin felt it was her responsibility to deal with any intruders that threatened it. And if she didn't do it herself…what kind of Mage would she be?

The dark spot in Rin's head raised its voice, pointing out that Eggman's vehicle was probably loaded with a plethora of futuristic weapons. Rin's pride as a mage, honed through years of training, countered with the rebuttal, so what, I've got Magecraft. Everyone knows that Magecraft trumps all.

But, the dark spot continued, what about the old reports of a someone killing Mages with guns-

Shut up! shouted the mage's pride, I'm about to be awesome!

During this mental debate, Eggman had pointed dramatically at Rin. "Unless my scanners are glitching- unlikely, given that they were made by the smartest being in the universe, IE, me- all of this energy is coming from _you!_" He declared, "You've got a Chaos, all right! hand it over!

"And what if I refuse?" Rin asked, reaching into her pouch. She fingered several gems, each loaded with a powerful spell. As far as she knew, mages weren't very commonplace in Sonic's world. It was possible that Eggman hadn't met one, even with his fancy-schmancy 'Magecraft radar'. If he believed that whatever was happening was due to the Emeralds, the better.

"Then I'll just take you with me," Eggman snarled, "And the passenger seat has a _very _tight harness!"

With speed and aim that would make the best in the Wild West green with envy, Rin pointed her finger at Eggman and fired a jewel loaded with a spell far more potent than _Gandre_. It was one of her more recent breakthroughs- combining the energy of the Power Rings with her own jewel Magecraft. One could argue (Like Archer had) that all Rin did was squeeze the gem into the Ring's hole, but Rin knew that it took very precise calculations to make sure that the gem's power would not cause the whole array to self-destruct from the contrast of abilities; Decay and protection did not normally go hand in hand. But Rin had pulled it off- and now it was time to see how well it would work on the field.

The explosion was pretty phenomenal, as far as Rin was concerned. There was no comparing a normal Gem to one imbued with Power Ring energy. But when the smoke cleared, it was revealed that one of the drill pieces had shielded the madman! and worse, the blasted thing only looked badly burnt!

"That was a pretty good trick, but not good enough," Eggman half-growled, half gloated. "Now it's my turn. Get a load of this!"

The 'Egg Cracker' thundered forward, and under less dangerous circumstances would have looked comical. Its spider-legs stamping about reminded Rin of footage she had seen about the probe the Americans had sent to Mars. But she also saw that if she didn't move, she would be trampled underneath, and so Reinforced her legs. With her Mage Circuits coursing with energy, Rin leapt high into the air, kicked off of the wall, and shot across the warehouse over Eggman. Once she landed, she fired a regular _Gandre_ at Eggman's head. While the drill shields weren't fast enough to block the Gem, the glass dome covering the doctor's cockpit was protection enough. All her attack did was get Eggman's attention.

"Aha! There you are!" Eggman shouted, and redirected the Egg Cracker at her. But rather than just charging, a port opened up on it's front. There was a sound like a cannon being fired, and out from the port a small ball rocketed out. A ball with spikes. Rin had to jump to the side to avoid being hit, and kept jumping as Eggman fired more and more spike balls at her. But as she darted, one of the metal arms lunged forward and struck her dead-on. Rings fell from Rin's body as she was sent flying up into the air. Eggman horrible laughter was mixed in with the sound of Rin hitting the floor, and she slid against the wall.

Grimacing, Rin struggled to get up. Though undamaged, she _felt_ the metal hitting her side. And if her brief flight _hadn't _broken a rib, she would be very surprised. She saw Eggman's mechs stomp over to her, the light shining creepily off of Eggman's glasses.

"Now, I'd like to keep having fun, but I've got a schedule to keep," Eggman said, "Either you give me the Chaos Emerald, or I start searching!" To illustrate this threat, extra robot tentacles, with metal claws and clamps like the ones Arms had, but smaller, extended from the Egg Cracker.

Rin gritted her teeth, and refused to be intimidated. "I don't have your stupid Emerald, you perverted old geezer!" She shouted, and fired another Ring-Gem at Eggman. She missed his head, but managed to blast off one of the claws.

"Whoa!" Eggman yelled, ducking out of reflex. Poking his head up, he muttered, "Note to self, leave the auto-shield on…huh? Where'd she go?"

"_Orraaa!_" Rin shouted, leaping up. Spinning in the air with all the grace and skill of a kung fu master, she spun a Reinforced leg with intent to kick off Eggman's bald head.

_Sproing!_

A _punching glove_ on metal spring popped out and slammed into Rin's stomach. Rin felt the wind leave her, and she fell once more.

"Now, now!" The doctor chortled nastily, "Didn't you watch all of those PSAs on the danger of pretending to be Sonic?"

_Dammit…dammit! _Rin thought bitterly, punching the ground. She had never felt so humiliated before in her entire life.

For the past ten years, she had trained herself rigorously. She honed her Magecraft to the finest imaginable, preparing and empowering the highest-grade gems. Practiced martial arts with techniques impossible to finish without Reinforcing her body. And while she knew that it would be impossible for a mortal being to combat a Servant, that was why she summoned Archer. However, for all other dangers, she had felt that her abilities could handle anything.

But now, when she needed it the most, when it was time to solve the crumbling situation, her Magecraft failed her. Everything she had been taught to believe in…useless. She had been outdone, by cold machines…_again._

Bitterly, she looked down at her floor. Her eyes focused on the Command Seals on the back of her hand. Gritting her teeth, she began to focus. The marks started to glow.

"What now?" Eggman grunted, before a massive flash of light filled the room.

When the shine faded, a tall, dark and handsome stranger stood between the evil scientist and the damsel in distress.

"Here I come, to save the day." Said Archer.

_**To be Continued**_

_Tiger Dojo_

**Taiga: **Down the winding hills and across the vast plains, Tiger Dojo has arrived! I am your instructor, Fujimura Taiga!

**Illya: **The Number 1 Student, presenting!

**Taiga: **What a long chapter this was! The author was originally going to make this the final chapter in the arc, but it was going so long that he decided to cut it here and complete the introduction arc in the next chapter.

**Illya: **What a lazy author.

**Taiga: **Silence!

_(Whack!)_

**Illya: **_Gah! _The damned _Tora-shina! _Let…let's just answer the questions!

**Taiga: **The first comes from Madonna-_hime! _She asks, "Where did Eggman get the animals for all of those robots?"

**Illya: **Eggman's been catching cute lil' critters from all over Japan. I even caught some robots wandering onto castle grounds, today. That's why I didn't show up at the harbor.

**Taiga: **This one is from ENDDRAGON369, "Can you PLEASE Sonic wield Caliburn (Excalibur)?" Hmm, I don't know…Saber isn't the kind of person to let anyone else have her sword…If Shirou masters Projection, he might be generous…

**Illya: **And our last question is from Neo-Devil: "I swear to god that Avenger gives me a similar vibe to Mephiles...is he Mephiles, or is he Angra Mainyu?"

**Taiga: **That's hard to say, the Author never played the 2006 _Sonic The Hedgehog_, so it'd be hard to make a comparison to our Avenger.

**Illya: **It's best to think Avenger as a mix between the Holy Grail that papa spoke to in _Fate/Zero, _and the Avenger that showed up in _Fate/Hollow Ataraxia_.

**Taiga: **That brings us to the end of this session! I will see you at the next practice!

**Illya: **Goodbye, everyone!


	9. Fly In The Freedom

Chapter 9: _Fly In The Freedom_

Archer stared down Dr. Eggman. Behind him, on her hands and knees, was Rin. He didn't have to turn around to see the chagrined expression on her face. He knew that the only time Rin would use a Command Seal to summon him would be if she gotten into a situation she couldn't spell cast or argue out of. And the only way someone as headstrong as Rin would realize she was in over her head would be a total defeat. He glanced behind back to confirm that, yes, Rin definitely looked chagrined.

"Rin, you should have contacted me the minute Eggman showed up," Archer chided softly, "That was the reason we camped out here."

"Where the heck did _you _come from!?" Eggman demanded, "What was that, Chaos Control?"

"Sure, I'm going to explain how all of my cool powers work," Archer said sarcastically, "That works out all the time in _anime_."

Eggman snarled, and the drill-bits on the Eggm Cracker lunged at Archer. Instead of running or even fighting back, the bowman just held out his hand.

"_Rio Aias_."

The air before Archer shimmered, and a light shaped like a flower in full bloom appeared, followed by an transparent shield in front of it. The drill-bits collided with the shield, hammering it endlessly and without any effect.

"Gah! What is that, a magic forcefield?!" Eggman shouted, frustrated.

"Kinda," Archer replied, thinking, _Judging from the rate those arms strike, not to mention the pattern, the ideal moment to fight back should be..._

Archer Projected Kanshou and Bakuya, and let the shield vanish. Seeing what appeared to be an opening, Eggman pressed his attack. Rather than use the drill bits, he fired his spikeball cannon. As Archer batted the balls away, the drill-bits shot forward. Having anticipated this, Archer was all ready to slice each drill piece off.

"Fair warning," Archer said, "The Bug Queen couldn't fight to her fullest because she wanted to prevent civilian causalities. Here, though…"

Archer's arms became blurs and the Egg Cracker's drills fell to the ground. Eggman made a noise of shock and surprise at what had happened. The doctor pulled at his yoke to direct the Egg Cracker away, but Archer was already on the move for his follow-up assault. He charged at the Egg Cracker, shifting his footing just enough to avoid the spring-loaded punching glove. As the comical bludgeon harmlessly passed by his head, Archer whipped out his swords and sliced the legs of the Egg Cracker to pieces. The pod fell to the ground with a crash, ending up lopsided.

Eggman looked about frantically. "Wha- How did you!?"

"Sonic's a bit too careless," Was Archer's explanation. "He doesn't have an eye for weaknesses like I do."

Archer strode over to Eggman's cockpit, and held up his swords. The mad doctor's eyes widened when he realized just what the white-haired man was planning.

"Whoa! Hold on, there!" Eggman shouted, "Aren't you going to take me to jail?! That's what you heroic-types do, don't you?"

"Sorry, you must have me confused for someone else," Archer said coldly, "I stopped playing nice years ago."

Eggman gritted his teeth, and flipped a switch. All over the warehouse, the spike balls strewn about by the battle began to explode. For a brief moment, Archer's ironclad control slipped as he tried to figure out if the Badniks were attacking or this was some trick of Eggman.

And in battle, a brief moment is all it takes to decide the outcome.

* * *

"Yo! Where'd Archer go?!" Sonic yelled, speeding up the Shirou. "He just vanished!"

Shirou felt a cold feeling in his gut. "Archer's not someone who retreats. If he disappeared, something must have happened to Rin!"

Sonic's quills went stiff. "Wait, where is Rin? I haven't seen her…"

"Guys!" Tails landed next to Sonic and Shirou and pointed. "Check out that warehouse!"

With the Badnik horde thinning, the three heroes could hear the sounds of multiple blasts going off from within the building. A piece of the roof exploded, and something flew out from the smoke. Shirou's heart leapt into his throat when he saw what it was. Dr. Eggman's Egg Mobile, and it had an reluctant passenger; Rin, held to the side by a robotic tentacle!

Meanwhile, Saber was unaware of any of this. She had abandoned the battle on the dock to tackle the enemy head-on. Running across the sea with the Lady of the Lake's blessing, she gathered her Prana, preparing to eliminate the Egg Marine. Before she could get within minimum required distance to use her Noble Phantasm, the ocean began to rock. The submarine was rising out of the water!

_It can fly too!?_ The blond Servant thought, half-shocked and half-amazed.

Archer leapt out of warehouse, and Projected a bow and sword to fire from it. As he aimed, he realized that even if he shot down Eggman, there was no guarantee that he would be able to save Rin from falling into the churning water.

Sonic elbowed Tails and jerked a thumb towards the city. "Let's get the _Tornado_!"

Tails nodded. "Right!"

Sonic took hold of Tails by the hand and raced off. Shirou made to follow them, but he could only take two steps before the off-worlders were out of sight. Distraught, the ginger Mage turned back to the ocean to command Saber, but saw that his Servant was already a dot on the horizon, chasing after the now-airborn submarine. Archer landed besides him, and the two men were then in full-emotional sync; Each hating himself for his inability to save someone. For Archer, the pain and self-fury was doubly so.

_I spent years honing my Magecraft, became a Counter Guardian, made a slave to the will of the World…and I'm _still _the wannabe hero stuck on the sidelines!_ Archer thought, the gritting of his teeth the only sign of his emotions.

Shirou was far less reserved. Falling down onto his knees, the young man angrily punched the pavement. Looking at the sky, he let out an anguished scream.

* * *

Sakura wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to let her feelings loose onto the world. But she wouldn't. She couldn't. She dared not to. After everything that was happening, she feared it would simply draw more and more to her.

It began not long ago. While out on an errand for Shirou (She knew that he would be busy with the Holy Grail War), Sakura felt a slight tremor on her body. She instantly knew what it was.

Her Command Seals, her link to Rider, returning.

For Sakura, this was the worst feeling ever in a long line of worst feelings. Not only would she have to cope with the terrible nightmares that plagued her sleep, or the unsettling tingling that began to occur recently, the 16-year-old now had to fight in the Holy Grail War- against both her sister and her _senpai!_ She had given control of Rider to Shinji in the hopes of avoiding such a confrontation, but it appeared that her 'brother' was incapable of retaining that obedience…or, just as likely, their grandfather decided Rider was better off with her original Master.

And so there Sakura was, standing in an alley, shivering like it was the coldest day in winter. She was frozen, paralyzed with fear. Her mind was no longer in the present. It was back at that day before the Great Fire…

_Uncle Kariya, lying there on the stairs, dead…_

"…hey! _Hey! _Are you listening!?"

The voice shook Sakura out of her thoughts. Looking around, her gaze was drawn deeper into the alley.

There, his head sticking out of a dumpster, was another _tanuki. _Unlike the creature hiding at Shirou's house, this one was red, with spikes dropping down around his head. There were spikes coming out of his mittens.

"I…I'm sorry, did you say something?" Sakura asked, her mind in something of a daze. The lack of sleep, combined with her worry, had put her out of sorts.

Knuckles sighed, and climbed out of the dumpster. "I _said, _have you found any jewels, like this one here?" He held up a scrap of paper with a crude drawing of a gem.

Sakura shook her head. She remembered hearing Dr. Eggman demand an emerald of some kind back when he attacked the school…were the _tanukis _looking for them as well?

Knuckles narrowed his eyes. "You sure about that?" He had sensed a strange power about the girl, which was why he confronted her. But at the same time, it didn't seem like she was lying.

Sakura suddenly realized something. Everything that had happened recently, it had all began when the _tanukis_ had appeared.

Including Avenger.

"I'm sure, but…" Sakura gathered her meager amounts of strength. If the _tanuki_ got violent, she could always summon Rider, but that was a small consolation. "What is the Chaos Emerald?"

Knuckles blinked, and folded the paper and stuck it in his glove. He then resumed his suspicious glare, which nearly caused Sakura to faint.

But she wouldn't. So much was happening, she had to get answers. Where did Zouken's plots begin, and how were the _tanukis _tied into it?

Knuckles sighed. Crossing his arms, he said, "Listen, the Chaos Emeralds are the most powerful objects in the entire universe. If you get all seven, it's possible to create miracles..."

The Echidna already had Sakura's attention, but his words had caused her to become entirely focused on their conversation. Seven? Miracles? It sounded so familiar to a child of the Holy War's Founding Families. Everything else faded away as Sakura poured every ounce of her being into taking in Knuckles. So much that she didn't realize…

…That there were _two _eavesdroppers on their conversation.

Up on the rooftop, Rider turned and leapt away. While she had wanted to greet Sakura immediately, she couldn't take the chance of anyone figuring out their connection. And that connection was in danger. Ever since their bond had been restored, Rider could feel that something had disrupted her Master's flow of Prana. She couldn't just heedlessly absorb Sakura's Mana. She had to find a way to give some back. The most obvious solution would be to continue to stealing Mana from civilians, but Rider had a feeling that Sakura would not approve. But, if these Chaos Emeralds were on par with the Holy Grail's power, at least _one _of them could supply Rider with the Prana she needed to fight.

&amp;BReak&amp;

Somewhere underneath the city, Avenger smiled. Although there was no one to see it, it was a terrible sight. All around him…_things_ pulsated, several dozen new organisms that shared a single mind. Or soul. And they trembled as the self-proclaimed Servant worked the muscles necessary to twist his facial features into that expression.

_A miracle, huh…?_

Deep within, the Chaos Emerald throbbed.

* * *

"…So, she's not here?" Mr. Stuart asked innocently.

Souichirou Kazuki nodded. As usual, the man's expression was unreadable. Even a rock that looked like a face would be easier to gauge. "Yes. She went out to do a few errands. Preparations for our wedding."

Stuart nodded, pretending to care. "I imagine a lot of things will need to be done. So, are you going to do a western-style ceremony?"

After arriving, Stuart learned that Issei was not at the temple. That said, the special agent had no intention of letting his trip go to waste. After talking a bit with that strange man at the gate (What kind of name was Asassin? Was he connected to Emiya's companion, Saber?), he entered the temple grounds ostensibly to visit Kazuki. The truth of the matter was that he intended to plant a few listening devices. The fact that the rest of the monks had been sent away not long after the various murders and other incidents began was too suspicious. Unfortunately Kazuki had been there, and Stuart had to feign an interest in the temple's layout and structure. As they talked, Stuart made numerous attempts to discern the identity, the basic appearence, _anything_ about of the stoic man's mysterious fiancee. However, Kazuki was a former assassin (Though unproven this little fact was), and very good at answering questions without revealing any information. Combined with his near-inability to display any emotion, it took all of Stuart's self-control not to rip out his own hair.

And he _still _hadn't been able to plant a bug!

"We may not go through with an actual ceremony," Kazuki commented, "Neither one of us have any family members still alive."

"Oh, that's a shame," Stuart said, "Wait...if you're not going to have a wedding ceremony, what kind of preparations need to be done?"

Kazuki then looked away. "That's for...things that require no audience."

Stuart had to squint, but he could just barely seen a smidgeon of red appearing on a cheek. With a start, he realized that the impossible was happening; Souichirou Kazuki was blushing! And with that tidbit, Stuart's brain made another connection. And that caused a far less subtle blush to appear on his face. Now the all special agent really wanted was an excuse to escape this conversation, or a legitimate means of changing the subject.

Stuart got his wish when his cell phone rang. The caller ID told Stuart that it was from headquarters. Bowing his head, the blond said, "I'm sorry, Kazuki-_san_, but I need to take this. It's from someone that I've trying to get in touch with all day."

Kazuki shrugged. "That is all right. Go talk with your friend."

Stuart half-ran away from the shrine, nearly tripping over Asassin as he hurried past the gate and down the stairs. He was in such a rush that he didn't notice that something had fallen out of his jacket pocket.

Once he felt he was far enough, Stuart answered his phone. "What's going on?"

"There's been some kind of massacre at the harbor! The area is littered with robot parts and the security is missing!" Pierceman's voice hissed through the speaker.

"What?! Is there anybody there?" Stuart asked.

"No. Our field agents claimed to have seen Emiya Shirou running away from the area, but it hasn't been confirmed if he was actually there."

"What happened to Saber? Wasn't she supposed to be with him?"

"She's missing too. There's something else."

"Now what?"

"We've picked up some intel from the Air Defense Force; they've got two UFOs leaving Japan. One is some kind of, I dunno, a airship that's shaped like a submarine."

_A flying sub? _

"The other is that fox-boy's plane they spotted the other day. And Sonic is with him! What should we do?"

Stuart slowed down. Forcing his heart rate to calm down as well, he leaned against a lamp post. He thought for a moment. Then he said, "Right now, we can't do anything about the flying sub or the plane. Try to get as much data as you can from the left-over robots. Keep monitoring everything that's happening in the city.

"And hope we catch a break."

* * *

High the air, the _Tornado _flew. Stationed impeccably on the wings was Sonic. The Hedgehog shielded his eyes with his hand as he glared at the horizon. He glanced back at Tails.

"So, not to sound like a little kid on a car ride, but how much further?" Sonic asked his sidekick and pilot. "Are we even going the right way?"

"I've been tapping into calls between the nation's air defense and scanning the area with the Miles Electric," Tails replied, "According to their data and ours, we should be seeing Eggman's sub…ship…thingy any minute," There was a beep. "Wait, there's a huge energy signature right now!"

Sonic looked about. He didn't see anything. Grasping the edge of the wings, he pointed his gaze downward. Very faintly, he could see a dot that was both yellow and blue. Or, mostly blue topped off with yellow.

"It's Saber!" Sonic exclaimed, "Quick, bring us down!"

Tails did so. However, they had only descended a few meters down when Saber shot up and grabbed hold of the landing gear. With a flip that would make an Olympic gymnast green with envy, she flipped herself onto the _Tornado'_s wings, joining Sonic.

"Did you run out here all on your own, Saber?" Tails asked, amazed.

"During my lifetime, I was given a blessing," Saber explained, "This gift allows me to walk the waters as if they were the land itself," She gave Sonic a slight smile. "Besides, haven't you then the same thing? Or were you just exaggerating that time?"

"_I _runso fast that I don't give my feet time to sink," Sonic replied, "_You _were basically jogging. Still, pretty useful, as superpowers go. Not very flashy, but, eh. Can you also turn water into wine?"

Saber was about launch a scathing reply about Christianity when a beeping from the _Tornado_'s on-board computer cut into her dialogue. The three heroes looked up and saw Dr. Eggman's flying submarine. On it's side, they could see the words Flying Torpedo printed in giant letters.

"There it is!" Sonic commented, "Think we're coming up on their radar? Or maybe we can take Eggman by surprise?"

Sonic got his answer when the Flying Torpedo unleashed a fleet of flying Badniks. They bore down on the _Tornado_, but were handily dispatched by Sonic and Saber.

"Yeah, dunno why I asked," Sonic replied, "Tails! Let's go give Eggman a welcome present of our own! Bring us in!"

"That's gonna be harder than we thought, Sonic," Tails admitted, "I can't do the usual routine with _two _people on the wings! And if we don't get to the _Flying Torpedo _soon, the _Tornado _won't have enough power to make it back to Fuyuki!"

Saber thought about their situation. While her honor as a knight (And perhaps a small amount of pride and desire to personally storm the enemy's base) compelled her to attack her world's invader head-on and defeat him with her own sword, she recalled her life as a king. A leader was more than someone who rode in front of the charge. A leader had to be someone who could assess the problem and come up with the best solution. Saber considered everything she had learned about the other-worlders, and compared that with her own abilities. She came up with a plan and shared it.

"That sounds pretty awesome," Tails conceded, "But do you really think you can make the shot?"

Saber's face was the very epitome of kingliness; No arrogance, no finality, just confidence and the determination to do the duty. "Try me."

"Hey, I'm game, sounds like fun!" Sonic grinned, and hopped into the air.

Saber held up one arm and caught Sonic's curled-up body in her hand. She pulled back and summoned her reserves of Prana. Thanks to the Power Rings Shirou had gathered, the lady knight had plenty of stamina for this feat.

"Okay, hold on until I say so…" Sonic cautioned. "Wait…wait…wait…_now!_"

"_Prana Burst!_" Everything she had went into her arms. Saber hurled Sonic forward and upward, a spinning blue cannon ball shot from the most powerful of siege weapons. Normally, one would need to aim a little higher in order to account for their projectile's eventual descent. But for Sonic, there was no arc- His speed and Saber's power combined to ensure that. instead, it was all one straight line. And at the end of it was Eggman.

* * *

Rin made another attempt to break the glass. All she did was hurt her foot a bit.

After boarding the Flying Torpedo, Dr. Eggman quickly deposited his captive in a special holding pen. It was essentially four giant, metal prongs surrounding her, with glass all around. Capping the cage was a giant metal disc, underneath and pointing at her were a collection of spotlights. They were currently off, but when the lights were on, Rin had felt her strength- all of the Prana she had saved up -leave her. Siphoned away. It was clearly a device designed to drain the Mana of its target, much like a Servant could. Such a thing would have been impossible to do without Magecraft. But in Sonic's world, she was forced to acknowledge, the distance between conventional science and Magecraft was a lot closer than she was comfortable with.

Dr. Eggman grinned nastily as he watched Rin rub her leg. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you. You might smudge the glass," He reached into his pocket and pulled out Rin's bag of Gems. He fingered a _Gandre_. "I have more than a few questions about you…starting with how you made _these_," An alert sounded. "_Now _what?"

Eggman stomped over to a computer terminal. The screen showed large hole in the hull. Frowning, Eggman had the security footage play back in slow motion. Then, super slow-mo. Finally, at slow-motion x5. He managed to retrieve an image of a very familiar blue and spiky figure flashing the camera the peace sign.

Eggman slapped his forehead in frustration. "I don't even know why I asked," He pointed at Rin. "I'll deal with you later! Right now, I've got a Hedgehog to catch!"

Eggman ran over to an elevator. In a minute, the doors shut and hissed as he left the floor. With the doctor no longer around to gloat and distract, Rin's mind was free, even if her body wasn't. She was tempted, sorely tempted, to use her Command Seal to summon Archer and have him free her…but there was no telling what would happen if Eggman's…_magecraft _drainer kicked in while she invoked the Seal's power. And it had already drained her Circuits before hand. Giving it a reason to take more would be risky…and perhaps fatal. And even if she could break free, she had no idea where she was in the ship. As much as Rin hated to admit it, right now the best thing was to wait until a better opportunity came around. She took a deep breath, and straightened herself.

_Always be composed and graceful… _Rin reminded herself, _That is the Tohsaka way. If I keep my head level, I'll find an ideal solution to this mess._

* * *

For Sonic, it was business as usual. He had broken into so many of Eggman's bases and battleships that even not knowing where Rin was being bothered him. It was just a minor problem that would solve itself.

…Okay, in truth, the reason he wasn't worried about finding Rin because he was more concerned with keeping his balance while doing a rail grind with nothing but the sky and ocean waiting if he fell.

_Okay, why does Eggman put so many pitfalls in his stuff? _Sonic thought as he reached the other side. Hopping off, he dodged an Orbinaut's spike balls and smashed it to pieces. _Does he just run out of building materials, or something?_

Now back on solid ground, Sonic continued his high-velocity exploration. He ran up walls, ducked into crevices when needed (Mostly to wipe some oil off of his shoes), and continued to smash away at any robots that crossed his path. Stopping at one point to wipe some more oil off, an idea occurred to him.

Activating his communicator, Sonic said into the receiver, "Rin? Rin, are you there? Do you copy?"

For a few minutes, Sonic didn't get any response. Then, he heard, "… ate this stupid thing, I can never be sure when it's on…!"

"Oh, cool!" Sonic grinned, nonplussed by Rin's technology-induced aggravation. "Don't hang up, I'm gonna see if I can use the GPS in our comms to find your location."

Sonic entered a few more commands. The little screen flashed red, and the words ERROR appeared.

"…Yeah, this is gonna take a bit longer than I thought," He admitted, "Just hang tight, and if you manage to bust yourself out of where Eggman stuck you, try and follow your comm''s GPS to meet up with me."

Without bothering to wait for a reply, Sonic shot down a hall, dodging claws and blasts from robots. He reached a shaft leading upwards. Rather than waiting for an elevator, he began to parkour up the shaft. After going an estimated three stories, Sonic ducked into an open air vent. He built up a Spin Dash and shot down the vent's path, smashing a van to pieces and coming out into a large area with a staircase. Looking up, Sonic spotted a sign pointing upwards labeled "Restrooms"

_Hmm, where there's toilets, there's people! _He thought, began to run up, and then stopped. _Wait, Eggman's never been that nice to prisoners._

Turning on his heels, Sonic hopped onto the stair railing and began his slid towards the bottom.

* * *

When Rin realized that her hi-tech cage didn't have a toilet, or access to a bathroom, her haste to escape confinement hastened. Luckily, she had one trump card left at her disposal. While Eggman had taken her bag of Gems, she had one extra stored in her shoe, just in case. A quick check revealed that the capsule's Prana-drain hadn't effected it (A lead-lined secret pocket really _was _a good investment) too much, but she would have to move quickly. Her plan was to use the Gem to break the drainer, then shatter the glass container with her Reinforced martial arts before Eggman or a robot showed up to either fix it or recapture her. Personally, she hoped she would run into Eggman again. She _really _wanted another shot at taking him down.

Rin focused her thoughts. She had to build up as much of her own Prana if this was going to work. But she couldn't be too obvious and activate the drainer's functions. She heard a familiar hum and knew that it was time. She pointed directly upwards.

"_Gandre!_"

Like a bullet from pistol, the jewel went from Rin's fingertip to the center of the drainer. There were sparks and a small explosion as the curse hit. Knowing that she only had a short time until someone came a guard came around. She activated her Mage Circuits (Never had such a routine process felt so _good _until that point!), and swung her leg out. She was pleased to feel the wind as her Magecraft accelerated the speed.

_Crack! _

She _wasn't_ pleased to feel her hell make contact with the glass. Despite putting a being allowed to access her Magecraft uninhibited, Rin had failed to break the container's walls. The most she had accomplished was causing a vary long hairline crack.

Still, it _was _more than anything she had done beforehand. Before Rin could take another crack at the crack, she heard a door open up behind her. Turning around, she saw Sonic zip into the room.

"And once again, mindlessly running around solves all of my problems!" The Hedgehog declared, before turning his attention. "Hey, Rin, how're you doing? Eggman treating you right?"

Rin turned away, a little annoyed, but trying not to show it. "I'm fine. The old geezer ran off for some reason."

"Yeah, 'for some reason'," Sonic grinned, "I bet Eggman's not gonna let us jump ship without a fight! Speaking of which…stand back!"

Rin barely had time to react when Sonic shot at her. Or rather, at her container. In a second, the floor was littered with pieces of glass. Landing back on the floor, Sonic brushed his fur and causally swept some of the tiny shards aside with his foot.

"Personally, I think the damsel in distress bit doesn't suit you." Sonic said conversely.

"How nice of you to say so," Rin replied. So far, it didn't seem like Sonic was going to make fun of her. Apparently even showboaters like him had some manners. "Where did Tails land that plane?"

Sonic laughed, "Land? We weren't even in jumping range! Saber chucked me here."

Rin blinked. "Then what are we going to do?" She rubbed her chin in thought. _So, they brought Saber…that's a relief._ "I suppose we can find a safe place until Tails gets here…"

"Nah, that'll take too long," Sonic grabbed Rin by the hand. "We just need to find a good spot to jump ship and he'll catch us."

"_WHAT!?_"

Rin was so stunned by Sonic's casual admittance to such a daredevil, life-threatening, and overall _stupid_ plan that she didn't resist when Sonic began to pull. And in the 1.4 seconds it took for her brain to reboot, he was already pulling her out and they were going down an elevator shaft. _By running along the wall._

* * *

With little regard as to where they going and what was happening, Sonic led Rin down a harrowing series of halls, chambers, and storage facilities. All of them had robots, which proved to be of little consequence. Sonic had to put Rin down so he could fight without endangering her even more so, and the Tohsaka Master took out her frustrations with everything on the Badniks. But the minute a room was clear of enemies, Sonic would scoop her up again and resumed running. Though she wisely choose not kick or struggle out of his arms, Rin made her displeasure with this chivalry well known.

"You don't have to carry me!" She yelled as Sonic rocketed over some pipes. "I can move on my own!"

"As fast as me?" Sonic asked rhetorically. He already knew the answer to that.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Rin demanded.

Sonic shrugged. "Eh, I figure if we just keep going forward and not in circles, we'll find a way out. Loop!"

Before Rin could ask what Sonic meant, their path began to curve. Upwards. Rin gasped, clung to Sonic, and did her very best not to let the contents of her stomach jump ship as well. Though successful, it took several minutes after they were back on the floor for her complexion remove the viridian hue it had taken.

"Why…" Rin moaned, "Why would he put in a loop-de-loop?"

"Mystery of the universe." Sonic replied, grinning from the adrenaline.

As they continued on, the ship suddenly shook as if something heavy from the outside struck it. Sonic's communicator suddenly beeped, and although it wasn't his style, the Hedgehog stopped to put Rin down to respond. Tails' voice began to speak from it.

"_Sonic! Have you found Rin yet?!_" The fox sounded a little frantic.

"She's right here," Sonic held his wrist up to Rin. "Say 'Hi', Rin."

"Tails, what's going on?" Rin asked, "We heard something hit the ship."

"_We've got bogies! And not the ones Eggman made!_"

"What, you mean the air force caught up with us?" Sonic asked, taking his wrist back.

"_Yes! There are jets trying to shoot the _Flying Torpedo _down!_"

"Have they gone after you?"

"_No, the jets are focused on the airship. They've avoided Eggman's return-fire so far, but Saber and I can't protect them without doing something that could expose Magecraft._

Sonic nodded, his expression becoming more serious. "Got it. See if you can tell them to break off their attack. I doubt they've got anything that could do any damage," He glanced up at Rin. "No offense."

Rin sniffed, her way of assuring that no offense had been taken.

"_Roger. I'll get under the airship to catch you. Just give me a heads-up when you get ready to bail. Over and out!_"

* * *

The jets soared around the _Flying Torpedo_, trying to take potshots while dodging missiles and missile-like robots. There were only four planes, but reinforcements were already on the way. The air was full of tension, adrenaline, and this radio chatter.

"_This is Falcon-1 to base. We have located the UFO and are engaging. Sending our coordinates, over!_"

"_Falcon-2 here. Falcon-1, what about the red bi-plane following? Over._"

"_We have orders not to concern ourselves with the bi-plane, Falcon 2, over._"

"_It's just…it looks like it's being flown by a _kitsune, _and there's this girl standing on the wings…_"

"_Let it be, Falcon-2. Over._"

"_This is Falcon-3, the UFO is releasing bogies, over!_"

"_Falcon-3, this is Falcon-2, what do you- Are those turtles?!_"

"_Falcon-4 here! The target has missile-launchers on both starboard and port!_"

"_Helloooo? Is this the right frequency?_"

Captain Reiji looked suddenly at his radio. That sounded like a child! "_Who the hell is this!?"_ Reiji's eyes slowly turned outside his cockpit. They were directed towards the red biplane. "_Are you…is this the bi-plane?!_"

"_That's right!_" Reiji could almost imagine an eager face nodding. "_You can call me Tails. Listen, you have to withdraw! Eggman's only getting started! And even if you could take fight him, you might end up hurting…uh, someone._"

"_That's the point!_" Falcon-3 half-shouted, "_We're trying to hurt him!_"

"_No, that's not _my _point!_" Tails retorted, "_Eggman's kidnapped a girl! I don't who she is, but Sonic's on-board the _Flying Torpedo _rescuing her!_"

"_What!?_"

"_Hey…isn't Sonic that _tanuki _that helped the Bug Queen save the school a few days ago?_" Falcon-2 asked.

"_He's a hedgehog. And yes!_"

"_…Your orders, Falcon-1?_" That was Falcon-4.

Reiji gritted his teeth. This was absolutely inane. It felt like real-life had been supplanted by one of his kids' _anime_. That said, his older daughter had sent an email about being saved by _kitsune_. As much as his training told him otherwise, Reiji had a gut feeling that 'Tails' was being legitimate. However, they couldn't let a chance to take down a dangerous terrorist slip away. All attempts to locate Eggman's base so far had failed. The airship was the best lead they had. And so, he made a compromise.

"_Tails…_san_, we're giving your friend Sonic five minutes to rescue the hostage,_" Capt. Reiji radioed back, "_That's the ETA we have for reinforcements. During that time, Falcon-2 through 4, I want you to focus on taking down those bogies and the turrets. Do you copy?_"

"_Copy that, over!_" Three voices Reiji recognized replied. There was also a fourth voice that Reiji had never heard before this day.

"_Thank you, sir. And don't worry, five minutes is _plenty _of time for Sonic,_" Tails replied, "_He should be out of there in half of that!_"

_He sounds pretty confident…wish I had something to feel confident about!_ Reiji thought.

* * *

By that time, Sonic and taken Rin to a large hanger bay. At least, Rin assumed it was a hanger bay. However, there were no vehicles of any kind in sight. It was just a large, empty chamber with enough space to fit several jets.

"I don't like this," RIn said, "Why isn't there anything here?"

"Easy," Sonic said, setting Rin down. "This is where Eggman's gonna sick a giant robot on us."

"What?"

"Or, he's gonna take us on himself," Sonic continued nonchalantly, "Trust me, I've done this song and dance before. Empty room always means a big fight's coming."

"You're very laid-back for someone who's expecting a battle." Rin noted. Even the calm of Saber or Archer was laced with an edge. Sonic looked like he was about to take a walk on the beach.

"First rule of adventures," Sonic said, "Always keep a level head."

"I see," Rin looked around the area. The stillness was getting to her. "So, what should we expect?"

Sonic grinned, "That's the second rule; Don't expect anything. Just learn to roll with it."

Before Rin could further question Sonic, a horrible laughter filled the room. It was Eggman. Lights that were once dimmed turned to full brightness, and Rin could see Dr. Eggman, piloting that accursed Egg Cracker that had humiliated her back in Fuyuki. Behind him, however, was a new threat. A giant robot, easily twice the Egg Cracker's size was there. Looking at it, Rin was vaguely reminded of a pig's head. On its left and right were gigantic wheels, like the kind used by monster trucks seen on insipid TV shows. (Rin only later made the comparison was after relating her experience to Archer. She had never seen a monster truck rally before) The two holes in the "snout" glowed ominously. On its back, a pair of giant exhaust pipes puffed smog as an engine within revved up.

**E-6791: **_**Skweel**_

Sonic grinned. "Gee, Eggman. With those jets buzzing this ship, I didn't think you'd have time to see us off! What a sweet guy."

"Hah!" Eggman snorted derisively, "If the standard military of our couldn't stop me, there's no way the sub-standard military of this world could!"

As a Mage, Rin had no problem with Eggman's demeaning the level of her country's technological development. But as a citizen of Japan, she felt that she had a duty to defend her nation's honor. To compromise between these two mentalities, Rin's frown deepened and she clenched her fist. Stepping closer to Sonic, she whispered, "Be careful, Sonic. Eggman's weird machine has some kind of punching device if you get to close, hidden in a compartment at the front."

Sonic nodded, and whispered back, "Thanks for the tip," Louder, he said to Eggman, "I'd love to stay here and shoot the breeze with ya, Eggers, but I've gotta get the little lady home. Her parents don't like it when she's out too late, you understand."

"Goodness, I had no idea I was being so thoughtless!" Eggman gasped with mock-worry. Sneering, he pointed at the two. "Run 'em down, Skweel!"

The pig-robot's giant tires screeched against the floor as Skweel charged at Sonic and Rin. The Sonic rushed towards Skweel, but easily hopped over him to go at Eggman. Rin, Reinforcing her body, leapt to the side to avoid being run down. Meanwhile, Eggman attempted to crush Sonic with the Egg Cracker's drill-bits, but the Hedgehog dodged the attack and hit the vehicle with a Homing Shot. Yelling in alarm, Eggman shot both a glare and several spike balls at Sonic- and missed. Sonic effortlessly ducked and weaved around the shots, and the spike balls either landed harmlessly on the floor or imbedded themselves in the wall.

"Hey! Would it help if I put a bullseye on my tummy?" Sonic taunted, giving one spike ball a sidelong glance.

"Don't get near those things, Sonic!" Rin yelled as she dodged another charge from Skweel. "They explode!"

"They do?" Sonic eyes widened slightly and he put some distance between himself and the spike balls. "Thanks for the heads-up!"

As Sonic hopped back, he heard a screech of tires and realized that Skweel was making an attempt to run him over. He jumped into the air as Skweel roared under him, then landed a Homing Shot on the robot's back. Rather than acting hurt, Skweel whirled about in a desperate attempt to counterattack, but Sonic nimbly bounced away.

Rin, meanwhile, kept her distance from both robot and mad scientist. This was something she and Sonic had discussed during their brief journey through the airship. If and when the two of them would run into either Eggman or one of his sub-bosses (And Sonic was pretty insistent that it would happen), the key to victory was patience. Despite his eagerness to rush into danger, Sonic made it clear that blindly charging at an enemy would be suicidal; the best tactic was to wait for an opening, _then _charge in. As Rin ducked, weaved, and leapt away from Eggman's weapons and Skweel's rushes, she realized that this strategy worked best for Sonic, whose reaction time was superior to even Lancer. He could be on the other side of the room and make it in time to capitalize on a moment of weakness. Rin, on the other, was still human, even with Reinforcement enhancing her abilities. And the one time she was able to land a hit on Skweel, there seemed to be no effect. It was so frustrating! How could she tell if it was damaged if it didn't have any mana? Sonic had assured her that if they just kept at it, the damage would take effect soon enough, but Rin wasn't too confident with that.

_There has to be something more I can do! _Rin thought furiously, _Running around and randomly hitting things are for…neanderthals!_

Luckily, and perhaps insulting, neither Eggman nor Skweel were particularly keen on keeping track of Rin. If she wanted to be generous, Rin would believe that it was due to Eggman's longstanding grudge against Sonic that compelled him to target the Hedgehog. It was better than the assumption that, having already defeated her previously, Eggman decided Rin was not worth his effort.

At one point, Sonic seemed to be cornered by both Eggman and Skweel. As the two enemies closed in, Sonic ran _up _the wall, and once he was high enough, shot over Eggman's head. Once he was down on the other side, he took the chance to Homing Shot the Egg Cracker again.

"Argh!" Eggman exclaimed as his cockpit was jostled. He turned the craft around and began to fire spike balls. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

_Crap! Those stupid bombs! _Rin thought, dodging the projectiles. Inspiration then struck. _Wait…bombs! What if I…?_

With a look of determination that would have impressed Shirou, Rin began to run towards the nearest bomb. As she did, she began to focus all of Mage Circuits in her leg.

The bombs were on timers, but they also could be detonated remotely. Luckily, Eggman was more focused on Sonic than her. Furthermore, they were clearly designed not to explode on impact, as none detonated after slamming to walls.

With that in mind, Rin swept her leg out at the spike ball, and in a move that wouldd have made high school soccer captains the world over green with envy, _kicked it!_ The spike ball soared across the and slammed into Skweel's left wheel. This had numerous effects; One, impact of the bomb disrupted the robot's path, nearly knocking it off on its side. That's when the bomb went off. While the spike ball was designed to resist the force of most impacts, Rin's kick had jammed the circuitry, causing it to explode preemptively. The force of the blast was enough to completely knock Skweel on its side, and the porcine robot spun around aimlessly in a like, making whining noises that sounded very similar to a certain breed of farm livestock.

Sonic laughed, "Nice one, Rin! You play soccer, or are you just on reserve?"

Eggman wasn't nearly as amused. "That does it! Now I'm setting these to go off on _impact!_"

The Egg Cracker's cannon fired another slew of spike balls, this time aimed at Rin. Before they reached her, Sonic made a move of his own. Getting between Mage and bomb, he ran around in a tight circle, creating a miniature whirlwind. This caught the spike balls and sent them high into the air. The bombs collided with each other and created a massive explosion that almost knocked Rin off of her feet. But just as she was regaining her balance, Sonic scooped her up and made a mad dash away from the blast.

"I'd say we've worn out our welcome," Sonic told her, "Besides, I think I found a way out of here!"

Sonic stopped, and Rin saw that they were standing in front of a large, egg-shaped hatch labeled, 'Emergency Exit: Use Only In Case Of Emergencies'. There was also a smaller label, reading, 'WARNING! Do Not Use Unless Flying Torpedo is on Water Surface!'

Horror flowed into Rin's features as she realized where the hatch led- and what Sonic was about to do. "No! No! We're not…"

Sonic had already forced the hatch open. "Toolatethisway'smorefun!"

Rin's terrified shrieks bounced up and out of the chute as she and Sonic fell down it. Eggman punched his console in frustration. As the pair continued their high-speed descent, Sonic activated his communicator.

"Tails, get ready to catch us! we're about to- Rin, stop screaming, I can't hear myself- come out of the airship!" Sonic yelled into the speaker, "Track us with the GPS!"

* * *

"Okay, Sonic, leave it to me!" Tails replied, and the ME's screen turned black, with a red arrow spinning around. "Do you see them, Saber?"

"Not- Wait, there!" Saber pointed. In the distance, she could see a dot falling from the airship. She could also a faint screaming.

"I see 'em!" Tails twisted the yoke, "Hang on!"

Saber bent down and held on to the wing as the _Tornado _curved and shot towards the falling pair. Once they were close enough, the biplane went into a nosedive. While Tails had down this sort of thing dozens of times with Sonic, he was worried that Rin's inexperience with these high velocity might hurt her. Therefore, he had to make the catch at a curve in order to invert her inertia and hopefully keep her guts from spilling out.

Reaching out with one hand, Saber took hold of Rin and pulled her from Sonic's arms and into her own grip. The Hedgehog took this moment to grab hold of the _Tornado_'s wings. Once everyone was aboard, Tails began to level out the plane. Once this action was complete, Saber deposited Rin into the back seat.

"You okay, Rin?" Tails asked.

Instead of answering, Rin forced her head over the side. A hideous retching noise was lost in the wind.

Tails winced. _Great…I _just _got this thing waxed…_

Standing up, Sonic brushed himself off. "Well, I'd call that a Rank-A success. Wanna stop by a Denny's on our way back?"

"Not yet," Saber said, drawing her sword. Sonic that there was a steel in her eyes and voice stronger than the one in her hands. "It is time we put an end to this."

There was a brilliant flash of light. Saber had removed Invisible Air from her sword. Without the spell to bend the air currents, there was nothing to hide the true form of Saber's blade.

And it was a sword Sonic had seen before.

It was in a different place. A different story. But Sonic could recognize that weapon anywhere.

Light began to gather around the metal. Saber lifted the sword over her head. She stared resolutely at the departing airship.

* * *

Eggman furrowed his brow as he stared at his console's screen. Smack dab in the center of the footage was Saber and her glowing sword.

"What's going on now?" He asked aloud. A red light began to flash, and a series of numbers flashed by. "_Uh oh_."

* * *

"_EX…"_

There were different types of Noble Phantasms. Lancer's _Gae Bolge _could pierce through time in order to reach his victim's heart without fail. And while he could do it multiple times at once, it was still a weapon that could only strike a single opponent. Saber's, however, was of an entire different nature. It wasn't one she could freely use in Fuyuki. Not because of the minimal Prana she received from Shirou (Although that was certainly an unavoidable factor). Her Noble Phantasm was one that affected everyone and everything within its radius. It was an ability-type called anti-_fortress_. Unleashing it within the city was unthinkable. Even if she could bury her own honor down deep enough to forego the safety of the citizens, her Master would never agree to such a pyhrric victory. But out in over the ocean, with the sky as a backdrop…

...She swung the sword down…

"_…CALIBER!_"

There was a brilliant flash of light, so great that it briefly eclipsed the sun. And when it faded, there was no sign of the _Flying Torpedo._ The _Tornado _did a U-turn and flew back to Fuyuki.

The Japanese Air Defense jets also returned to base. Captain Reiji's formal report on the mission had to undergo numerous re-writes, before it was decided that his cockpit had been low on oxygen, and he had hallucinated the 'giant sword beam of certain death' while Eggman's ship self-destructed due to some unforeseen accident.

By the time Kotomine got home, he was stressed from arranging all of those memory alterations. But, he was pleased with his work.

* * *

Zouken Matou was also pleased. Thanks to Sakura, that stupid _tanuki _had given all of the information he needed to make some sense of the current situation.

He didn't care about Dr. Eggman. Not at all. Even the idea, laughable as it was, that Eggman could track Magecraft with his technology.

But the Emeralds…these Chaos Emeralds, could be what he needed to achieve his wish, after all of these years.

_No Servants, no Command Seals, _the wizened mummy of a Mage thought greedily, _Just power to whomever can gather them._

And gather them he will. Or wait for someone else to gather them…

* * *

Caster was pleased. While her first foray in the Special Zone had not yielded a Chaos Emerald, the Power Rings she gathered during her time there were a worthwhile consolation prize. Even without her sixth sense, she could feel the energy they radiated. With them, she could bolster her Magecraft without taking Mana from the citizens of Fuyuki. From what she had gleaned from her scrying, Special Zones reappeared after a certain amount of time. She would make another attempt to take the Chaos Emerald at a later date. For now, she would experiment, and prepare her spells. Maybe she would be able to send Assassin off as something more than a gatekeeper.

_And next time, _Caster thought, holding one ring to her eye. _I'll be prepared for those stupid spike balls…_

As Caster teleported into the Ryuudou Shrine, she didn't notice a blinking light from one of the statues…

* * *

When the _Tornado _landed at the Tohsaka Mansion, Shirou and Archer were already there to greet the crew. They had been there since the battle at the harbor, waiting for everyone to come home.

Seeing both Saber on the wing and Rin in the back seat brought a relieved smile to Shirou's face. And while Archer's face was as stoic as ever, his heart shared Shirou's sentiments. Having mostly gotten over her nausea, Rin flashed the two boys a shaky thumbs-up. Tails laughed, and Sonic grinned.

And then Saber fell off.

"Saber!" Shirou cried, rushing over. Reinforcing his legs without even realizing, he managed to catch his Servant before she hit the ground. "Saber, are you alright?!"

"This is…nothing, Shirou," Saber assured faintly, "I am merely…tired…from using my Noble Phantasm."

"You what?" Shirou asked, and behind him, Archer's eyes widened.

_She used Excalibur? _The bowman wondered, _What kind of battle did she experience to resort to that?_

_That's why she's like this…using a Noble Phantasm requires an enormous amount of Prana, _Shirou realized, _More than a second-rate Mage like me can supply. Wait, that's it! _He dug into his pockets, and brought out a handful of Power Rings. "Saber, take these! Use them to restore yourself! That's an order!"

Saber glanced up at Shirou's determined eyes, and then reached out for his hand. The Rings glowed even brighter, and one by one, they floated off of Shirou's palm and into her body. Once the glowed subsided, the knight's pallor returned, and she stood up, though still clearly tired.

"Thank you, Shirou." Saber said, smiling.

"You shoulda seen it, man," Sonic said, hopping off of the biplane's wing. "Saber blew up Eggman's airship single-handedly!"

"What?" Shirou asked, looking at the Hedgehog.

"Here, watch this," Tails said, flying out of the cockpit with the Miles Electric. "I managed to get it on camera. Check out _this _action!"

Shirou gaped at the recorded footage of Saber swinging down her sword, which was followed by a blinding light.

"Yeah, Eggman _wishes _he could build a death ray like that!" Sonic laughed, "Oh, I wish I could've seen the look on his face."

At hearing Eggman's name, Rin allowed herself a smile of her own. "That's one less thing for us to worry about. It didn't exactly go as I wanted, but the plan worked, at least. Mission accomplished."

"What do you mean?" Tails asked.

"I mean he's dead," Rin answered. A bit more thoughtfully, she added, "Look, I imagine you guys have some code of honor against killing, but this is serious. The longer Eggman kept attacking the city, the more likely the Mage's Association will take drastic action. We had to finish Eggman off."

"That's what I mean," Tails replied, "What makes you think Eggman's dead?"

"You think he could have survived Saber's Noble Phantasm?" Archer asked.

"Hey, this wouldn't be the first time someone shot a death ray through his ship with him on it." Sonic commented.

"But…But…that's impossible!" Rin shouted, "How could anyone survive what Saber did?!"

"Look, the last time we foiled Eggman's schemes, it resulted in a black hole sucking up his space station," Tails explained, "If you can explain _that _one, I'd love to hear it."

"I…I wouldn't even know where to begin…" Rin said helplessly. Once more she felt a huge gap between her own skills and experiences and that of Tails'. It took the wind out of her metaphorical 'victory balloon.'

"So everything that happened today was completely pointless…" Shirou groaned.

"Jeez, you guys are depressing. No wonder ya'll suck at this hero thing," Sonic sighed, on his way to a tree to sit under. He rested his head against the trunk. "Look, we took out one of Eggman's battleships, and every weapon on it. That's less weapons Eggy's gonna throw at us next time."

"He's right, Shirou," Saber piped up, "The War may not be over, but for now…we have achieved a victory. That is something to take pride in."

Shirou exhaled. Saber had a point. Eggman had used up a lot of robots at the harbor. And with the destruction of his airship- which could go underwater- it would be a while before he could launch another attack. That gave them some time before he could try again.

* * *

Dr. Eggman staggered into the factory section of the Egg Saucer. The ends of his mustache were so frayed that it looked like someone had attacked him with a jagged, bent comb. When his instruments detected the energy output from Sabers sword, Eggman immediately evacuated the _Flying Torpedo_. The power stones he had taken from Rin allowed him to bolster the Egg Mobiles shields enough to survive the blast, and then limp back into his base. The minute he touched down in the launch bay, his hovercraft had fallen to pieces.

Orbot and Cubot looked up from a Egg Pod. Seeing Eggman, Orbot hovered over. Clasping his hands together, the red round robot said, "Welcome back, Dr. Eggman!"

Cubot followed suit. "So, how did it go?"

Eggman glared at the yellow, blocky robot, pulled his foot back, and kicked Cubot. The Robot soared magnificently in the air , bounced off of a conveyor belt, and landed into a bin labeled, "BROKEN PARTS WITH SHARP EDGES".

"…I'll assume it went badly." Orbot guessed, wisely hovering out of legs length.

"It was a total disaster!" Eggman shouted, waving his arms in frustration. "I almost got killed, _and _I lost the Flying Torpedo in one fell swoop!"

"Maybe you shouldn't leave the self-destruct where Sonic'll find it." Cubot suggested, pulling himself out of the bin. There was small bits of shrapnel stuck in his joints.

Eggman huffed. "It wasn't Sonic this time…not completely, anyway. How can I conquer a world if it's full of super-powered kids?"

"Aww, don't be like that, doc," Cubot said, removing shards with Orbot help. "Maybe somethin'll turn up!"

Cubot tossed one metal piece absent-mindedly into the air. It landed on the Egg Pod's top button, pushing it down. The Pod's doors opened up, and a teenaged boy with blue hair not unlike _wakame_ tumbled out. Gasping, Shining Matou looked up at his new surroundings, his face equal parts confused and frightened.

Eggman was also confused, but far less frightened. "What the- how'd _he _get in there?" the doctor demanded, stomping over to Shinji.

Hearing Eggman's shout, Shinji turned around. The sight of the madman approaching caused a very feminine shriek to spill out of his mouth. His instinct bade him to flee, so Shinji turned away. This put him faced to face with Cubot- who was holding a piece of jagged metal. A second shriek followed.

"Ahhh!" Cubot reeled back. "Right in my ear-part!"

"That's strange," Orbot murmured, putting the shards he had taken off Cubot back in the bin. "I wonder how he got in there."

"Well, never mind how he got here, get rid of him!" Eggman ordered, "I don't have time for this!"

"Get rid of me?" Shinji gasped, struggling to stand up. "Wha…what are you going to do?"

"Sir?" Orbot asked, turning to his master.

Eggman waved a dismissive hand. "Just toss him overboard. Let the ocean do the work for us."

"Wait," Cubot raised a hand, "What if he's one of those kids with superpowers?"

Orbot took out the Eggman Electric and scanned Shinji. A beeped a few times before giving off an obnoxious buzz.

"Not according to this," Orbot reported, "He's completely clean of Chaos energy."

"Oh, never mind," Cubot shrugged, "Let's get 'im."

The two robots advanced on Shinji. The powerless Matou quaked in fear at their approach.

"Wa…wait!" Shinji cried out, holding out his hands. "Don't do this! You don't want to do this!"

"Oh, and why not?" Eggman asked sarcastically.

There were moments when inspiration struck. An idea would just make itself known with the force and suddenness of a bolt of lightning. The same thing happened to Shinji.

And with the same amount of collateral damage.

"Because I can tell you about those super powered kids!" Shinji shouted.

The robots stopped. Eggman smoothed out his mustache. Shinji felt a grin forming on his face as an idea formed in his head.

"Go on…" Eggman offered, rubbing his chin.

He remembered what Rider told him about the robot Saber thought during the night. He remember how difficult Saber had it during the daytime attack. Shinji realized that the key to victory was right in front of him.

And unfortunately, so did Eggman.

"So, tell me," Shinji began, "What do you know about the Holy Grail War…?"

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

_Tiger Dojo_

**Taiga: **When there is no more room in Hell, the Tiger Dojo shall walk the Earth! This is your instructor, Fujimura Taiga!

**Illya: **And Illya, the Number 1 student, is also here!

**Taiga: **It's finally happened! The event we hoped would never pass! Eggman knows about the Holy Grail War!

**Illya: **That stupid Shinji, what's he doing? You'd think even the most useless member of one of the Holy War's founding families would have more pride than that.

**Taiga: **As one of Shinji's teachers, and the supervisor of the archery club he's part of, I can explain Shinji's actions. He's very greedy, and _very _shortsighted. I think it's a Matou thing. I once met his grandfather for a parent-teacher conference, and he seemed to act the same way.

**Illya: **Figures.

**Taiga: **Anyway, this puts an end to the first arc, "Sonic in Fuyuki". To celebrate, we will allow a cameo of the first reviewer who guessed this plot twist was coming!

**Illya: **What twist? It was obvious that Shinji would rat us out.

**Taiga: **Pipe down! _(Whacks Illya)_

**Thunder Dragon: **Hey.

**Taiga: **Okay, you can leave, now.

**Thunder Dragon: **But-

**Taiga: **Out! _(Punts Thunder Dragon out)_

**Illya: **You're so mean.

**Taiga: **It's important to set boundaries. Otherwise, they'll walk all over- Hey, what are those papers you're holding?

**Illya: **That Stuart guy was snooping around the castle, so I had Sella steal some files from as revenge.

**Taiga: **Young lady! Stealing from a government official is a felony! …Can I see?

**Illya: **No, they're mine.

**Taiga: **Hand those over, you little brat! I'm confiscating them!

**Illya: **Hey, leggo! Don't make me call in Berserker! Wait, you're gonna hit the-

_Klckgrrrfzzz_

**From the files of Agent Stuart_**

**The following individuals are hereby listed as suspect for the Fuyuki case_**

**Please place them under Level 1 monitoring_**

**[Sonic]**

**Notable features: Blue quills coming from his head, red and white sneakers.**

**Special skills: super human running speed estimated to reach 650 mph.**

**Description: this strange creature was sighted a day or so before the high school attack. The first eyewitness claimed to have been saved from a serial killer. Since then, there have been numerous reports of a 'blue streak' speeding by throughout the city. Though superficially obnoxious, the creature seems benign in nature. He has been also sighted in the vicinity of...**

**[Emiya Shirou]**

**Notable features: red hair, gold eyes.**

**Special skills: repairing appliances, cooking, archery.**

**Description: a survivor of the Great Fire of Fuyuki, Shirou was adopted and raised Emiya Kiritsugu following the disaster. Due to the trauma, he has no memories of his previous family. Though functional, Shirou seems to suffer from a form of survivors guilt where he does not turn down any request asked of him. Furthermore, scanners salvaged from robots indicate that his body contains a small amount of X energy, the amount of which fluctuates depending on his proximity with...**

**[Saber]**

**Notable features: blond hair tied in a bun, with a single strand loose on her forehead.**

**Special skills: swordsmanship, eating three times her body weight, motorcycle riding.**

**Description: Kiritsugu's former subordinate from 10 years ago, Saber vanished from the public eye following the Great Fire. Strangely enough, she seems to have not aged during that time! The large amounts of X energy inside her may be a factor in her apparent agelessness. Wherever she was, she has reappeared to act as Shirou's bodyguard during this period mysterious deaths and mass fainting. She has a very stoic behavior, but so far has not shown any hostile activity.**

_Fzzzzzzzip!_

**Taiga: **Oh, good. We're back. You should be more careful, Illya-_chan._

**Illya: **_You're _the one who knocked the camera over!

**Taiga: **That's all the time we have left! We'll see you at the next practice!

**Illya: **We'll be seeing you! Roll the credits!


	10. Magi

Chapter 10: Magi

_Tying my hair into a bun, I walk towards the Stone. There was a faint mist of the early morning drifting all about. Still, even in that haze, I could see the Sword, it's hilt almost beckoning any and all. I knew that what I had to do. My country has been in turmoil for years, ever since my father died. If there is to be peace, then my first move is obvious. But then I stop. While I had decided with my mind to take it, there is a lingering doubt in my heart. The people would never accept a woman king. To accept this mantel…_

"_Whoever should pull this Sword from the Stone is King of England."_

_On on the opposite side of the sword is my teacher. Although he has always been a prankster, I could tell that today he is not here for mischief. His tone is level, and his gaze is unflinching, even from beneath his hood._

"_Artoria," He said, adjusting his staff. "You should carefully consider it once more before you take it. There's no going back once you touch that sword. You will no longer be human."_

_I am grateful to him. Though he often pretends to be a nuisance, his wisdom has always been useful. And his words today are both an apology for the fate he has prepared me for, and an assurance that he would not think poorly of me, should I choose to turn back._

_But I do not. Instead, I place my hand on the hilt of the Sword and tighten my grip. To him, I say, "Yes, I have come to take this because I so desire."_

_And so I pull. Unflinching, I draw the Sword from the stone, and when it is completely removed, I hold the blade up in the air for all to see. I could feel its magic permeate through my body. A wind blows through the land, clearing out the mist. The sun shines off of my Sword. From that day forth, I knew that I was no longer the ward of a knight. I had become that which stands above knights. _

Shirou woke up. After getting out of bed, he stopped to check on Saber. She was still asleep. An understandable state, given her previous actions. While the Power Rings had stabilized her condition, using her Noble Phantasm had clearly tired her.

Shirou went to the kitchen. There, he saw Sonic sitting up against the wall. The Sega Genesis sat unused by the television. The Hedgehog had a far off look in his eyes, and his mouth was turned down into a frown. Seeing the normally upbeat hero this way was a bit unsettling, to Shirou.

"Hey, Shirou," Sonic spoke up, "How did it end?"

"How did what end?" Shirou asked.

Sonic turned his eyes to look directly into the Master's. "The Legend of King Arthur…how did it end, in this world?"

* * *

Okay, put this on, Tails."  
Rin handed Tails a small pendant. It was half the size of his palm, and it hung from a string that was tied in a loop. Inside the case, surrounded by numerous tiny runes carved into the walls, was another jewel stuck firmly in the center of a Power Ring.

After hanging it around his neck, Tails asked, "Now what?"

Rin didn't answer him. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, recited a spell, and pointed her index finger directly at the Fox parallel to her. Tails blinked.

"Anything?" Rin asked. Tails shook his head. Unconvinced, Rin sent out a mental command. This caused Tails to frown slight and rub his head. Rin smiled.

Archer, watching on the sidelines, telepathically asked, _what did you do?_

_I ordered him to roll over and beg. _Rin replied through their mindlink.

_That's a bit mean._

_But he was able to resist it, _Rin pointed out, _that means this test was a success! Now it's your turn._

_Huh?_

It was the day after the following the Harbor Battle. Team Archer was currently engaged in a little R&amp;D. Even though they had won a battle, the war, especially the Holy War, was still going on. There were still the other Masters to deal with. The identities of Caster, Asassin, Lancer's Masters were still unknown, and Caster herself had still not shown herself. To keep them on the defensive, the alliance had chosen not to claim Eggman had been defeated to Kotomine.

Currently, Rin, with Tails' help, was developing a charm from the Power Rings. The idea was to adjusting the Rings' protective properties from shielding the body to the mind. Super speed or immense strength was nothing if you couldn't keep your head straight. Berserker was proof of that. It was a good thing the Einzberns had chosen to summon the mighty Herakles as a mindless brute. God knows just how one-sided a fight would be if they had chosen any other class.

With some reluctance, Archer took the charm from Tails. As he placed it around his neck, he pointed out, "You realize that even if these new trinkets do keep _your _Magecraft out, they might not be as effective against a more powerful Mage?"

"Of course I do," Rin replied, "But it's not like there are any other Mages I can trust to help me- Emiya_-kun_'s hopeless when it comes to enchantments, remember- Uh oh."

Archer nodded. He realized it the minute he put the charm on. "Rin…"

Run rubbed her forehead. "I know, I can sense it too. Damn!"

"What's wrong?" Tails asked.

"The charm increases my spell resistance, but also disrupts my ability to use Magecraft," Archer explained, taking the pendent off. "For a Servant, whose very existence is a work of Magecraft, it's like putting on a suit of armor that's too heavy to walk around in."

"And I thought I got it right this time," Rin muttered, sorely disappointed. She had hoped to create a way to support Archer a bit more, only to hit a brick wall. "Did you feel anything, Tails?"

Tails shook his head. "No. I felt fine. When you cast a spell, I got a bit of a buzz, but aside from that, nothing," He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If I understand your magic right, you control someone's senses by using your own Prana to influence the flow of my Mana, or something, right?"

"That's about right…" Rin replied.

"Well, this probably disrupts my own flow of Mana enough to render your spell useless." Tails finished.

Run sighed. "It's supposed to shield, not disrupt. I guess since you don't use Magecraft, it's okay for you to have it…"

Archer handed the charm back to Tails. Tails put the charm on and began to fly around the room.

"Well, it's not a total loss," The fox commented, "You can give these out to common people, and they would be safe from other Mages!"

Rin laughed bitterly. Oh, she could do that. Now more than ever, she remembered how the Fourth War's Caster team had used their Magecraft to lure innocent kids off of the street, only to butcher them. Rin had tried to save them, only to fail. In fact, if it hadn't been for "Uncle" Kariya, she would have been killed just as easily. Now it was possible to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

Except the Mage's Association wouldn't appreciate Rin wantonly spreading Magecraft around. Especially in the current circumstances. They hadn't made any moves yet, but if the situation in Fuuyuki deteriorated anymore, they would. Luckily, Eggman's repeated attacks had resulted in an increased military presence, which meant the Association wouldn't be able turn the city into glass without provoking a war between Japan and England. Rin had also sent a report to Clock Tower about the new creation of Prana detecting radar introduced by Eggman, which she figured would keep the Association at bay for a short period. She doubted that while many would believe her outright, the _idea _of such technology existing should make the Mages more cautious. (The lords of Clock Tower were driven more by self-interest than common morality, and hesitant to take any action that would put their own welfare at risk.) This gave them some time to prepare for the worst.

* * *

"Look, it's not as bad as that!" Bazett was yelling into the phone. "I'm _fine! _The media's just blowing this out of proportion! That's what the media _does!_" She paused to listen, then said. "Well, stop blaming everything on gas leaks!" She hung up and wiped her brow. "I swear, I should just quit and join the circus…"

"How'd it go?" Amy asked, shuffling a deck of cards.

"Well, I managed to convince them not to send in a full battalion," Bazett sighed, taking her chair. "That's progress, I guess."

"Is it really? I'm starting to think we could use the help." Amy pointed out.

Bazett briefly grimaced. She knew that among the assets the Mage's Association provided, help was not one of them. They're only real concern was research, and maintaining the secrecy that allowed them to perform less-than-moral experiments. The only times they ever moved in on the illicit activities of outside Mages was when they're own research threatened to expose that secrecy…or they managed to discover something really cool, which the Association would "Confiscate for the greater good". Bazett herself had executed many "Sealing Designations" before the Grail War, sometimes beating the target into a barely-functioning mess, all without flinching. However, her own brush with death and blossoming friendship with Amy had given Bazett a new perspective on her life. A perspective she was not comfortable sharing.

"The other enforcers aren't very careful when it comes to collateral damage," Was Bazett's excuse, "Normally, we can erase memories with spells if it comes to that, but the circumstances might arouse more suspicion…what are you doing?"

Bazett's dialogue had been derailed by Amy's current activity; Shuffling, drawing, and arranging her cards. Upon closer inspection, Bazett saw that they were tarot cards.

"What, this?" Amy gestured at the cards, "Just something I thought we could do while your wound heals," Seeing Bazett's skeptical look, Amy went on. "What, these things work! Really!"

"Really." Bazett repeated wryly. Even among Mages, the reliability of tarot cards was subject to much incredulity. Not that students at Clock Tower wouldn't indulge themselves in an attempt to figure what questions would be on their next exam. But after several vague, misleading, and sometimes nonsensical answers, the deck would either be tossed in the trash, set on fire, or tossed into the trash while on fire.

But Amy would not let Bazett's disbelief get her down. "Yes, really! In fact, these cards are how I met Sonic!"

_Okay, this one I have to hear._ Bazett thought, giving Amy her full attention. During their time together, the pink Hedgehog would drop hints and brief mentions of the various adventures she had gone on in her world. Because she needed to focus on defeating Kotomine, retrieving Lancer, and killing that shadow, Bazett had just let them breeze by without mention. But with her wound still healing from the blond man's attack, Bazett had nothing but time and now her curiosity was piqued.

Taking Bazett's silence as her cue, Amy began her story, "Well for a few years beforehand, I've always wanted to meet the famous Sonic The Hedgehog, hero of the world…but I could never catch up with him. 'Fastest thing alive' isn't just a theme song, y'know. So, I got desperate and took a course in tarot card reading. It took a few tries, but finally I got a message that Sonic would be at Little Planet."

_Must be the name of a town. _Bazett reasoned.

"It's this tiny planet that appears near mine every few years." Amy explained.

_I wish Amy's world wasn't so outrageous. _

Amy continued, "Anyway, he was there all right…and so was Eggman! Before I'd gotten a chance to really introduce myself, I was grabbed by Metal Sonic…"

"I'm sorry," Bazett interrupted, "Metal _what?_"

"Metal Sonic's a robot version of Sonic Eggman built," Amy explained, non-plussed by the interruption. "Almost as fast, and nowhere _nearly _as handsome!" She giggled.

Bazett rolled her eyes, smiling sardonically. "Naturally." _It's moments like these that make me wonder if I'm still dying on the street, suffering a blood loss-induced hallucination._

"Well, to make a long story short, Sonic bashed up Eggman's plans and saved me," Amy finished, "And that's the story of how he became my boyfriend!"

"And it's all because of your tarot cards," Bazett remarked, and took a card for closer examination, "Do you always consult your cards, Amy?"

Amy shrugged. "Not really. Only when I'm really desperate. Kinda takes awhile to get a reading you can use."

"And what kind of fortunes have your cards given?" Bazett asked, putting the card back. It seemed that the cards from Amy's world were different than the decks in her own.

Amy frowned. "That's the thing…it's weird, but no matter how many times I shuffle the deck, it's always the same one."

"Which is?"

Amy reexamined her current result. "They say, 'A great mistake is being made'."

* * *

Yesterday afternoon, Shinji told Eggman _everything_. Well, not _everything._ But enough about the Holy Grail War, and Mages in general to get Eggman _very _interested. And whatever guilt Shinji may have felt about betraying Mages everywhere was washed away the more he talked. If he played his cards right, he could get Eggman to destroy the other Masters and take the Holy Grail.

"This is utterly fascinating," Eggman commented, "So, the Holy Grail grants a wish, hmm?"

"That's right," Shinji replied, "And it all goes to whichever Master is left with the last Servant. Can I have seconds?"

They had moved out of the assembly line. Normally, Eggman would have taken Shinji to the a dark room that only had a chair, a desk, and a lamp to point directly at the questioned. However, because Shinji was being so helpful and informative, the Q/A was taking place on a deck at the Egg Saucer's edge. In front of them, Cubot did some deep sea fishing- a pointless activity, as the line wasn't long enough to even touch the water's surface. Off to the side, Orbot shook his head at his counterpart's foolishness before telling him to quit messing around help with the barbecue. They were having shrimp.

Shinji bit down on a shrimp, and after chewing and swallowing, said, "You know, I'm surprised at how accepting you are. I mean, I always thought scientists didn't believe in magic."

"Ohhh, ho ho ho," Eggman chuckled, "But I _don't _believe in magic!"

"Huh?" Said Shinji, Orbot, and Cubot. In Cubot's case, it was because he noticed something tugging at his line.

"In ancient times, the primitive people randomly declared anything they couldn't understand as a miracle or curse," Eggman explained, "They used the word 'magic' like it was going out of style, never bothering to comprehend the phenomenon or how it works. As a scientist, it's my _duty _to study a phenomenon. Otherwise, how could I hope to exploit it?"

Shinji nodded, impressed and accepting at Eggman's words. Meanwhile, Cubot had begun to reel his line in.

"This _is _rather interesting," Orbot noted, "In our world, people used to believe that the Chaos Emeralds, once you got all seven, granted wishes. And in this universe, we have seven…Servants, you call them?"

"Hmm, that's food for thought," Eggman rubbed his chin, "So, these Servants are…what, magic ghosts, or something?"

"Kinda," Shinji said, "They're heroic spirits- famous historical or mythical figures- brought into the War by the Holy Grail, and given powers based on their legends."

Humming, Eggman pressed down on Orbots head. The spherical robot's eyes began to project images. The first one was that of the Bug Queen.

"Which one is this?" Eggman asked.

"That's Saber." Shinji answered, "She's Emiya's Servant."

"What about this guy? Who's he?" Eggman asked, pressing down on Orbot and changing the image to the white-haired, tanned man.

"That's Archer. He's Tohsaka's." Shinji stated, having already been well-informed of the bowman's attempt to kill Eggman.

Cubot floated up with a Chopper Badnik at the end of his line, just as the image changed again. He took one look at the gargantuan behemoth with fiery eyes and flung his catch into the air in alarm.

"_Aaah! _It's the Stand!" Cubot shrieked.

"That's just a picture, you idiot," Eggman growled, catching the robot fish.

"And _that's _Berserker," Shinji explained, "To be honest, he's the only one who's identity I've figured out."

"Don't tell me, I think I can guess," Eggman interrupted, "He's the missing link, right? The evolutionary stage between ape and man?"

Shinji gave Eggman a weird look. "What? No, that's Hercules. You know, the Greek hero?"

It was Eggman's turn to cast weird look's. "Are you dense? Hercules never existed, he's just a fairy- Oh, wait. Magical parallel universe, I remember."

"Can we please stop?" Orbot asked, "Doing this always makes my eyes hurt?"

"Last one," Eggman changed the image to the red-eyed blond man.

"_Aaah! _It's the guy from _Final Fantasy!_" Cubot shriek. Eggman unceremoniously dropped the Chopper on top of him.

Shinji didn't answer. He studied the picture very carefully. "I have no idea who this is. I mean, he _looks _family- but I think that was before the War started, so he can't be a Servant."

"Well, whoever he is, he totaled one of my sub-bosses." Eggman said as Orbot shut off his projectors, "So, if you can figure out who he is and where he came from, that'd be a real help."

Once the shrimp supply had been exhausted, they moved to Eggman's office. There was a desk, which included a framed protrait of someone Shinji assumed was Eggman's mother (An assumption strengthened by the prominent facial hair), but more importantly there was a TV and game set. And bean bag chairs.

After a round of _Sega Superstars Racing,_ Eggman got down to the brass tacks. "All right, Shinji, you've helped clear up some big problems, but now I've got to ask the big question; How does this 'wish' thing work? I mean, what's the _process_?"

Shinji already had an answer ready. "I'll have to check my family's library." _Like I'm going to tell you everything before I can get home!_

_Clever. He's holding out so I'd have to give him a ride home, _Eggman thought, _Maybe if I pretend to show an interest, he'll be a bit more free with the intel. _"Okay, here's a personal question, then. What would _you _wish for?"

Shinji leaned back in his bean bag and looked pensive. "I want power."

Orbot nodded. "Don't we all."

"No, I mean…" Shinji sighed unhappily, "Your stupid gadget said I was powerless. The Matous come from a long line of Mages- Heck, we _created _the Grail Wars! -but I was born without any potential for Magecraft," His face darkened and he tightened his fists. "If I had the Holy Grail, I would fix that."

_Great, now I've got to deal with teen angst. As if I hadn't gotten enough of that from Shadow…_ Eggman thought irritably, but kept his face neutral. Then, his features brightened as the 'Lightbulb of Inspiration' turned on. "So, what I'm hearing is, you want to be special."

"That's right." Shinji nodded.

"Unique."

"Yes."

"You want abilities beyond that of normal humans." Eggman was privately pleased to see Shinji twitch.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Shinji yelled, briefly forgetting that he was technically Eggman's captive. And Eggman not only had big hands, but also had giant robots at his beck and call.

But rather than being upset, Eggman just grinned. "Why don't we make a deal…"

And so, Shinji, outfitted with a shiny, hi-tech watch that was also a radar and communications device, was returned to Fuyuki. After spending the rest of the night eating out and picking up girls (And only getting slapped once, a definite improvement over usual outings), he prepared himself for the first phase of his Genius Master Plan To Steal The Holy Grail And Defeat Everyone.

Bringing us to the present, as Shinji walked towards the entrance of the Matou Manor. When he left, it had been a matter of strategy, and not totally trying to save his own butt. Now that he had Dr. Eggman on his side, he had nothing to worry about.

"So, you've returned." The old as dirt voice greeted.

Well, there was Matou Zouken. Shinji's grandfather was standing right there, a wrinkled and shriveled wall between the young man and his ancestral home. For his entire life, the ancient patriarch of the Matou Clan was a figure of both admiration and terror to Shinji. A man who held all of the power, which he only dispensed to the worthy. All though he would never admit it to anyone, Shinji had hoped to someday earn the malevolent miser's respect.

Clearly, that wasn't going to happen today, as the second thing Zouken said was, "I see you have lost command of Rider."

Shinji sucked in his breath. He knew this was coming. Zouken had never been loose with compliments, and the inverse was true when it came to insults and put downs. But Shinji was ready this time. Putting on a devil may care smirk, he said, "Yeah, bit of a shocker, right?"

"Fool, I never expected victory from a failure like you," Zouken replied coldly, "When I allowed you to become Rider's Master, I had assumed that you would have enough pride to challenge others in spite of your powerlessness. But it seems I was wrong. You couldn't even do that. You have proven to be a complete disgrace to the name Makiri…just like your father, Byakuya."

At the sound of his father's name, Shinji went cold. Shinji used to love Matou Byakuya when he was very young, but that all changed when he learned about the Matou's heritage as Mages. Byakuya had purposely kept his own son in the dark about the Matou's roots as the Makiri clan of Russia, while at the same time preparing Sakura to take the mantle of clan head. That was deepest cut of all, that his own father would see nothing but hopelessness in his son.

Zouken had chosen his words very carefully. He had prepared this speech as part of his plan for Sakura. He knew his grandson would be driven by his condemnation to take drastic liberties with his sister as retaliation.

But Shinji knew something Zouken didn't. After seeing Eggman's weapons and base, he no longer feared Zouken. He had an ally that no Mage could possibly equal. And knowing that gave him a sense of power.

Smiling nastily, Shinji said, "Failure, huh? I guess you would know quite a bit about that, old man."

Zouken frowned. "What?" That wasn't the reaction he was expecting.

"You're so quick to put down pretty much everyone…but really, what makes you so much better?" Shinji asked, "I mean, you're old enough to have gone through two Wars, aren't you? And yet, the Matou clan has never claimed the Holy Grail once, have they?"

Zouken squeezed his cane so hard that only the frail nature of his hands kept the wood intact. Shinji was quite glad to see that his words were having an effect.

"Hell, this time you didn't even the chops to summon a Servant of your own! You had Sakura do it!" Shinji continued his taunt, "All your so-called power, and you're too scared to make yourself a target. Face it, gramps, in the big scheme of things, you're not that much different than me.

"Actually…you're probably _worse_ than me."

Shinji reached out, put his hand on Zouken's head, and gently but firmly pushed the decrepit Mage out his way. He continued into the mansion, shivering with glee. Shinji resisted the urge to kick his heels and laugh. _That felt so good!_

Ironically, Shinji's powerlessness kept him from buckling with fear. Zouken's rage at Shinji's words caused every crest worm in the mansion to squirm, and any Mage would have sensed the Prana flaring up. But what kept the Matou Patriarch from lashing out was his shock. Shock that Shinji, cowardly, gutless, Shinji, would have the nerve to stand up to him.

Looking over his shoulder, Zouken cast his descendant a glare that held nothing but vile thoughts. _Worse than you? We'll see about that! When I attain immortality, I'll spend the first century making you _pay _for those words!_

_wrrr_

Zouken forgot about Shinji in an instant. "Who's there!?" He cast out his senses, and sent out familiars. But they could find nothing. As far as he knew, the only two people on the entire grounds were his grandson and himself.

He didn't notice the red ball and yellow cube hiding in the bushes.

"_You'll need a way to keep in touch with me, Shinji," Eggman said, and put something on the teen's wrist. "Take this. It's a multi-purpose computational device. Call me as soon as you get new information."_

_Shinji stared at the device. He had to admit, he was impressed by all of the shiny buttons and chrome finishing. However, there was one part he had to criticize._

"_Couldn't you give me something with a different cover?" Shinji asked. _

"_What are you talking about?" Eggman replied, "That's a very handsome and trendy design."_

"_It's your _face!_"_

_Eggman crossed his arms firmly. "And what's wrong with _my _face?"_

_Shinji gulped, but salvation came._

_Orbot held up a finger. "I think Shinji is asking for something that won't…advertise his connection to you."_

_Eggman looked at Orbot, then back at Shinji. He threw up his hands in disgust. "Oh, _fine! _I'll get you one of the unfinished ones. But you people are making it really hard to develop a brand here!"_

_Once Shinji was properly outfitted, Eggman and his robots walked the Fuyuki native to the transport._

_Orbot carefully nudge Eggman's legs, and whispered, "Are you sure this is a good idea? How do you know we can trust him?"_

"_I've got a good feeling about this," Eggman whispered back, "After all, I'm an _excellent _judge of character!"_

"_But isn't that what you said about Shadow? And that Eggman Nega guy?" Cubot asked innocently._

_Eggman turned his head back and forth so he could glare at both of them. "Fine. Since you're such experts on the subject, _you _can go back to the city and keep an eye on Shinji!"_

_Orbot and Cubot exchanged looks._

Orbot and Cubot exchanged looks.

"I wonder if they can afford an exterminator." Cubot whispered. Orbot rolled his eyes.

* * *

Shirou walked. He didn't think about the where, because he knew his destination.

The Special Zone.

Saber was still tired from using _Excaliber,_ and Sonic was willing to watch over her for him, so Shirou was alone. Alone in the crowd, and alone with his thoughts.

Sonic had regaled him with his own journey into Arthurian legend. At the end, he chose to end the story, rather than allowing Camelot to exist forever in a corrupted time loop. In doing so, he had consigned the kingdom's destruction by civil war.

Saber had heard the story too. He had a feeling that the paleness in her skin wasn't from exhaustion.

Shriou still had trouble wrapping his mind around it. Not just about Sonic, but also Saber. Against all odds, he had _two _King Arthurs living in his house! And neither were anything like the stories told over the world.

_And stuck in the middle is me, _Shirou thought, _The talentless Mage fighting a war that would've killed him if it weren't for some mysterious savior._

Shirou pushed those thoughts out of his head as he arrived at his destination. As he stepped into the alley, he saw the giant gold ring materialize into the air. Taking a deep breath, Shirou took a running start and leapt.

And vanished.

&amp;break&amp;

Shirou fell through the tunnel of colors. This time, he didn't run. The tunnel seemed to move under his feet, carrying Shirou towards the end.

After Eggman had kidnapped Rin at the Harbor, Shirou had raged. He had vented. He had cursed his apparent powerlessness.

And then Archer said this, "You're problem is that you think you can save anyone with your own strength. That's incorrect. Instead, you should create something that can fulfill your needs."

Shirou didn't understand Archer's words at the time, mostly because he was too upset over Rin being taken away. But after having time to cool down and brood over what happened, he began to wonder...

The words appeared in his mind. _Get 20 Rings!_

Shirou began to shift his body, Projecting his swords (_His _swords. They looked like Archer's, but they felt like _his_) to grind against the floor as a means of steering. Before long, he had gathered up at least 27 Rings. That was the easy part. Getting the 20+ was _always _the easy part.

_Get 40 Rings!_

Shirou could see them coming a mile away- a distance that was closing fast.

The bombs.

No matter what Shirou did, he couldn't collect Rings and still move fast enough to avoid the bombs. He would only have to brush them and they would explode, causing him to drop precious cargo.

But what if they exploded before he reached them? Would they reappear?

Shirou let his swords vanish. In their place, he Projected a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. He pulled back, took away, and let one arrow fly.

The arrow struck, and the bomb exploded. Shirou was pleased to see that a mild chain reaction had occured, taking out the cluster. Invigorated by his success, Shirou began to fire more Projected arrows. Before long, the Special Zone was filled with the sound of multiple explosions. Shirou was enjoying himself so much that he almost forgot to gather the Rings.

The third challenge was to _Get 70 Rings_

Shirou focused himself. According to Sonic, Special Zones always had three challenges to complete. But if he prevailed, there would be a Chaos Emerald waiting at the end of this technicolor road...

_I couldn't stop Eggman from kidnapping Rin, and I wasn't able to help Sonic and Saber save her, _Shirou thought, _But, this road...reaching the end of this tunnel is something I can do for _them!

It was even harder this time. There were clusters of Rings mixed with bombs, and they came at a much faster rate than they did before. Shirou had to fire his Projections even faster, while at the same time position himself to grab Rings as they passed by. It was fast-paced and frantic work, but Shirou kept himself calm. He couldn't let himself be caught up in the moment. He had to maintain his focus.

Shirou kept grabbing Rings, and soon the tunnel became bare. The young Master felt a slight chill. Had he failed? He was so busy shooting and grabbing that he had lost count of how many Rings he had collected...did he fail?

No message appeared in his mind. But soon Shirou saw something in the distance. A tiny, shining red dot. As he got closer, he saw that it was a jewel, as red as his hair. Instinctively, unthinkingly, he reached out...and it fell into his hand.

* * *

When the light faded, Shirou was back in the real world- no, the normal world. Whatever meaning that held anymore.

In his hand was the Emerald. The beautiful gem was about the size of his fist, and fit firmly in his hand. The polish was so smooth and clean it was if it had been cut by a God of jewelry.

And it was alive.

Even without Mage craft, Shirou could see a faint pulsing light in the very center of the gem. The Emerald felt warm in his palm. And if Shirou dared to extend his senses, he could taste something far more potent. The energy stored within the Chaos Emerald was greater and more raw than any Mage craft he had felt in his entire life. Shirou dimly recalled Tails mentioning that the power of several Servants could be mistaken for the presence of an Emerald.

Servants!

Shirou suddenly realized what a precarious position he had placed himself into. He had gone into the Special Zone by himself. And now he had a Chaos Emerald , one of seven stones that could perform the Second True Magic. How long did he have until another Servant would risk exposure to attack him? Although it was broad daylight and the street was filled with people, Shirou didn't think that would stop a Master with sufficient motivation. Or worse, what if one of Eggman robots launched another assault?

Shirou, his hands shaking, fumbled to turn on his communicator. It was hard because he was trying to keep the Emerald tucked in his arms, and his excitement and fear kept him shivering.

Sonic's voice came out of the speaker. "Yo."

"Sonic, I have it." Shirou whispered. He wasn't sure why he was whispering.

"Dude, why are whispering?" Sonic asked, "What's going on?"

"I've got the _Chaos Emerald_." Shirou said a bit louder.

"What?!" Sonic shouted, "You got one? Shirou, that's awesome!"

&amp;break&amp;

Saber had been playing _Echo the Dolphin _when she heard Sonic shout. Putting her game on pause, Saber went outside to the backyard to see what the matter was.

"Sonic, what is going on?" Saber asked.

Sonic's looked at Saber. "Shirou got the Chaos Emerald- y'know, the from that Special Zone you found?" he pretended to wipe away a tear. "Our little Shirou is all grown up!"

"_I heard that._" Shirou annoyed voice spoke from Sonic's communicator.

Saber was stunned to hear it. Was that why Shirou had left earlier? While she had slept, her Master had gone and achieved a decisive victory!

But Saber began to worry. Shirou was on his own with a powerful artifact that any Mage, to say nothing of the other Masters, would give blood to have. Specifically, someone else's blood.

"Shirou, where are you now?" Saber asked.

"_At the alley,_" Shirou replied, "_I'll meet you back at the…_" There came a pause. "_School._"

"The school?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow.

"_Yes! The high school is still abandoned, and it's closer than my house._ _I'll go there and wait for you, Saber._"

"Shirou, that's very reckless," Saber said, "With no people, there will be even less to stop a Servant or Master from attacking you."

"_I know,_" Shirou replied, "_Which means that there'll be less chance of innocents being caught in the crossfire. See you there._"

The connection broke. Saber and Sonic looked at each other.

"I've gotta radio Tails," Sonic said at once, "He's got something that'll help us hide the Emerald."

"I must meet with Shirou," Saber declared, standing up. She didn't realize that she had knelt to talk into Sonic's wrist. She looked down at Sonic. "This thing…is it portable?"

"It's basically a lunchbox." Sonic answered, almost deadpan.

Saber decided not to argue. "Then go and fetch it," She looked in the direction of Homurahara Academy. "I have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

Caster had seen everything. She had watched Saber's Master throw himself into the Special Zone. She had seen him come out of it with the Chaos Emerald. (Okay, she didn't see what happened in the Zone, which meant that she didn't see _everything_, but that's just semantics.)

She resisted the urge to squeal girlishly for two reasons. The first was that as Souichirou-_sama_'s future wife, she had a duty to uphold a certain level of dignity. The second was that Issei was at the temple, he might hear her, and she was _really _tired of having to alter his memory after the time Knuckles asked him what his thoughts on magic were(Some _tanukis _had trouble with the concept of 'stay hidden'.).

Regardless, Caster couldn't stop herself from shivering with delight as she walked out towards the Temple's gate. Ever since Shirou had left the Special Zone with the Chaos Emerald, she could _taste _the power even without scrying. It was delicious. And she knew that others with even a smidgeon of Magecraft potential would be drawn towards it. She would have to act fast if she wanted to benefit from this opportunity. Luckily, she had already made preparations.

At the top of the steps, Assassin turned his head to look at Caster. His expression was unreadable.

"It's time," the witch said, "You don't _have _to kill them...but if you could, that would be _most _appreciated.

Assassin raised an eyebrow. If Caster had been paying attention, she would have noticed that he was actually looking past her.

* * *

In his investigations on the Fuyuki case, Agent Stuart had learned one very important thing; He _hated _the phrase, "file not found_"

But that's what he kept seeing every time he tried to figure out anything on the abnormal people who had entered Fuyuki. Kazuki's bride, a mysterious woman only known as Caster, did not show up in any database Stuart accessed. The same went for her strange manservant, the samurai cosplayer Kojirou Sasaki. Even making a search based on their pictures had yielded nothing. It was if the two had not existed until a few weeks ago.

Even Saber, whom Stuart had highly suspected to have a connection to the strange events, was also a virtual nonentity. The check on her background showed that the credential she used to enter Japan with Irisviel von Einzbern were patently fake, purchase through illicite channels by the Einzbern family.

Currently, the most mysterious person most of all was the strange man acting as Tohsaka's bodyguard. A drone, recently built from the remains of Eggman's technology, had been dispensed to the Tohsaka Mansion for recon. However, just as it was getting close, the unit was inexplicably destroyed. The last thing the long-range camera transmitted was the face of the one Rin called "Archer."

Stuart had already submitted the image to a facial recognition program, but so far had yielded no results. He wasn't sure what to think of it.

* * *

Archer wasn't sure what to make of it. The Robot had clearly intruded onto the Tohsakah Mansion grounds, bypassing the Boundary Field as if it wasn't there. Since the little invader hadn't been a living creature, it's presence didn't send any signals to Rin. If Archer hadn't been on the look out and heard the sound of its movements, almost no one would have known the machine was mulling about. It was just another reminder just how careless hereditary Mages could be, mindlessly assuming that their own power was enough protection. But the real problem lay in the Robot itself.

At a first glimpse, it looked like one of Dr. Eggman's Motobug Badniks. However, a more dedicated study of the unit would find key, crucial details. The most striking was the paint job. All of Eggman's machines were designed to stand out- either through their gaudy designs, excessive weaponry, or just being programmed to shout obnoxious noises. The doctor clearly wanted attention to be drawn towards his work.

The machine Archer found was colored to blend in with the grass and bushes. And it's claws and other offensive components had been removed. This unit wasn't one of Eggman's work.

Rin, who had come to what Archer had found, kneeled down to better look at the damaged robot. "How did this sneak in without being affected by the Boundary Field?"

"Because most Magecraft doesn't affect machines," Archer said pointedly. He held no doubts that if if they had met as enemies, Emiya Kiritsugu would have had Tokiomi Tohsakah beat.

Rin tried to keep herself from grimacing, but Archer could feel her discomfort. So far, the entire War had been a never ending display of the effectiveness and ingenuity of technology overcoming the limitations of Magecraft. Or, more specifically, the narrow-mindedness of Mages.

If Rin hadn't been looking over his shoulder, Archer would have used his Structural Analysis spell to determine the robots origin. He had a feeling that it wasn't Eggman who sent the robot. But doing so would have given Rin a big clue to his identity, and he was sure that she was already suspicious…

"Well, just take it apart," Rin ordered, "Tails can use it for parts, or whatever."

Archer nodded reluctantly. He heard the tell-tale sound of a fluffy chopper and knew that the Fox was coming. Turning around, he saw that Tails had leapt from one of the mansion's upper level windows and was using his trick to slow his descent.

"Archer!" Tails yelled, "Quick! Help me take the tarp off!"

After their little run-ins with the Japanese Air Force, Rin insisted that the _Tornado _be better hidden. After the destruction of the _Flying Torpedo_, Shirou, Tails, and Archer fashioned a large canvas to cover the plane, which was then tied down by ropes and stakes.

Sensing the urgency in Tails' voice, Archer did not argue as he went over to undo the bindings on the cover. Besides, he knew that it would be Rin to ask questions.

And she did. "Tails, What's going on?" Rin watched as Tails landed by Archers side. "You're not planning to go anywhere, are you?"

"I'm not," Tails replied. He tapped a spot on the bi-plane body and a compartment opened up. "But Shirou found a Chaos Emerald!"

"What?!" Exclaimed both Rin and Archer.

"Yeah, Sonic just called me about it," Tails said, digging through the compartment. "But we've gotta work fast. No telling how long it'll be before some creep like Lancer or another Master might go after him!"

Rin may not have been quick on the uptake when it came to advanced machinery, but she caught on to the tactical implications of this development instantly. "We need to store the Emerald someplace so that no one can trace it," She said, more to herself. "One of my family's possessions is a chest that contains an infinite space. We can hide the Emeralds in there."

"Really? You've _got _one of those?" Tails asked, pulling something out of the plane. "Cool! And I was gonna put it in this!"

Tails held up his find. It was a briefcase-like object. On its side was an emblem that looked depressingly (To Rin) like Sonic's head. It even had Sonic's eye shape.

"You're going to pack the Chaos Emerald in your luggage?" Archer asked.

"Yeah, but don't worry, it's lined with a lead-alloy polymer," Tails explained, "The polymer will block the basic energy the Emerald emits, keeping it off of the enemy's radar."

"And you had one just conveniently stored in your plane." Archer noted, with a small trace of irony.

"After a while, you learn to be prepared." Tails replied.

"Well, I suppose that's easier to transport for now…" Rin conceded. Inwardly, she was glad not to use the chest her family received from Zelrech. _It _was already locked inside of the box, and she didn't want to take the chance of _it _escaping. She went over to take the case. "I'll take it over to Emiya so when can check if it blocks Magecraft as well."

Tails said, "Actually, Sonic said he'll be over to pick it up himself," Seeing Rin grit her teeth, he added, "Don't worry, he promised he wouldn't let himself get caught. After all, even if he has to dart between shadows, he'll still be able to get this to Shirou faster than we would. After all, it's not like a Servant is going to pick a fight with him in the middle of daylight."

* * *

Lancer didn't like this. Not one bit.

Shortly, Kotomine had received an interesting tidbit; That Sonic the Hedgehog would be traveling around the shopping district towards the high school. The Church Official had relayed this to Lancer, with orders to capture or, better yet, kill Sonic. Normally, fighting in broad daylight- in a public place, even! -was forbidden. While Saber had managed to get away with it by not using her full abilities, Lancer knew that there'd no way to fight Sonic while holding back. Luckily, the spearman had a trick up his sleeve. And it was so _easy _to bend the rules when the man enforcing them happened to be backing you. Still, the whole thing out Lancer on the edge. The message Kotomine recieved had come from one of Caster's familiars...and nothing good had come from the dealing with witches.

He spotted something blue streaking across the city. Sonic was being more careful than he usually was. Rather than just blasting through the city had top speed like he normally did, Sonic was darting between alleys and hiding spaces, moving only when he could do so without being spotted. This made it easier for Lancer to prepare for battle.

Jabbing his spear into the ground, Lancer carved a rune. Then, resuming his astal form, he went off to do again. And again. In his life, Chu Chulain had studied Magecraft under Scáthach in the Land of Shadows. Under this training, he had obtained 18 Norse Runes. With just the _Ansuz _Rune, he could set a blaze that could reduce an entire room to ashes and leak out to the rest of the building. However, Lancer's current goal wasn't destruction...

...but repulsion.

* * *

Sonic stopped running. The street he was running in had become mysteriously bare. And he had just felt a strange tingle in his body. He had felt it before, at Homurahara Academy, and at the Harbor.

_I suppose this is the part where the monster pops out... _Sonic mentally assumed, and was not surprised when Lancer landed in front of him. _Sometimes I hate being right._

"I think it's time we finished this." Lancer said. For some reason, his voice lacked the usual arrogance.

"I'd love to, but right now I'm in a hurry to get somewhere," Sonic said, bouncing on his toes. "Why don't we try this later?"

Sonic became a blur as he tried to circle around Lancer. But the Servant had anticipated this, and was moving to intercept. Sonic had to stop and jump back to avoid being skewered on his spear.

"I thought you magic ghosts weren't allowed to come out in the day," Sonic noted, "Isn't that the golden rule of this, quote-unquote-" He made some finger quotations. "'Holy War'? 'Thou Shalt Not Get Caught'?"

"I know," Lancer said, pointing his spear at Sonic's heart. "That's why I cast a Boundary Field to keep away any witnesses."

Sonic's quills went rigid. "You can do that!?"

Lancer allowed himself a smirk. He couldn't stave off the feeling that they were being set up, but it was worth it to see Sonic get surprised for once. "'Magic' ghost, remember?"

**To be continued**

_Tiger Dojo_

**Taiga: **_Meri Kurisumasu! Hapi Nu Ye-aru! _And _Feliz Navidad!_ It's the Tiger Dojo, Christmas Edition! Bringing you the gift of knowledge is I, Fujimura Taiga!

**Illya: **And the Number One Student bringing the gift of marketable cuteness is I, Illya!

**Taiga: **It didn't take long for things to heat up again! Eggman knows about the Grail, and Caster is making her move.

**Illya: **And I did't make another appearance! What the _Hell,_ author!?

**Taiga: **Calm yourself, my protege! I haven't made an appearance either, and you don't hear me complaining, do you?

**Illya: **But, you're just a minor character! You're not a heroine, like me! You could drop out of the story entirely, and no one would care!

**Taiga: **Silence! _(Whacks Illya)_

**Illya: **Gah!

**Taiga: **Our first question comes from Kaiser Dragon, "Will Sonic use HIS Caliburn?!" Probably not!

**Illya: **That sword only existed in an illusionary world that was born in an alternate universe. The Wizard Marshal Zelrech _could _bring it to ours, but it's unlikely he'd interfere in what's happening in Fuyuki.

**Taiga: **Our next question was sent in by Taromaro. "Is there any possibility in Nazo being an antagonist?" Huh? Who's Nazo?

**Illya: **According to the Sonic Wiki, Nazo is a term regarding an unused Super-Sonic form for the _Sonic X _anime. The name came from an image file for this Super form, called " ".

**Taiga: **I see, so "Nazo" doesn't exist…

**Illya: **And if he doesn't exist, he can't appear! We barely have enough room in this story for canon characters!

**Big: **That's for sure.

**Froggy: **_(Ribbit)_

**Taiga: ** Our last question is from Ortizale317. They write, "Which Route are they following? Is it mixed?"

**Illya: **Obviously the story won't be predictable and play out like one of the original three Routes. But, mixed? Hmmm…It works like this. Every universe has a definite "Path" that they must follow. This path goes from the Beginning to the End. The future has already happened, and we just haven't reached it yet. The people of Fate will subconsciously try to stay on the path that has been laid out for them, but the interference from the Sonic characters has disrupted that path and their method of going down it.

**Taiga: **For example! Matou Zouken tried to belittle Shinji for losing Rider's Command Seals with the speech he used in the Heaven's Feel Route. However, thanks to his encounter with Dr. Eggman, Shinji was not offended, and even gained the strength to stand up to his abusive grandfather!

**Illya: **And Zouken had never expected Shinji to grow a spine like that, so he didn't know how to respond! Otherwise, he would have just killed Shinji right there.

**Taiga: **The future has become unknown! We must either tread cautiously, or charge in at full speed!

**Illya: **Huh? That doesn't make sense!

**Taiga: **What doesn't make sense that this story doesn't have a TV Tropes page, yet!

**Big: **There's a page.

**Taiga: **What?

**Froggy: **_(Ribbit)_

**Big: **The Literary Lord made it a little bit ago.

**Taiga: **Ooh, I have to see this! That concludes the Q/A! _(Runs off)_

**Illya: **Great, it'll be forever before she gets done editing…

**Froggy: **_(Ribbit) _

**Subtitle: **Thanks, Literary Lord!

**Illya: **See you at the next practice!


	11. Catch Me If You Can

Chapter 11: _Catch Me If You Can_

Saber ran as fast as she could down the streets of Fuyuki. Of course, given that it was still daylight and there were people out and about, "Fast as she could" fell far beneath her true maximum speed. However, in her anxiety, she found herself subconsciously pushing the limits of what ordinary humans were capable of. Several passerby's found themselves wondering how such a short, foreign girl was moving so quickly. Heedless of their confusion, Saber continued her run. All she could think about was her Master, who had made himself the most important target in the War. A bad feeling had been welling up in her heart ever since Shirou had reported his find. Although Sonic was on his way to help hide the Chaos Emerald, the King of Knights would not rest easy until she could see her Master's face with her own eyes.

_Shirou, please, use the Command Seal and summon me! _Saber begged desperately in her mind, _There is no telling how many enemies may attack you while you hold that Emerald!_

* * *

"Wow." Cubot remarked. If he had built with a nose, it have been buried in the ancient textbook he held.

"What is it?" Orbot asked, "Did you discover something?"

"Yeah," Cubot said, "Whoever this Justeace lady was, that Zolgen guy was nuts about her. This book is full of nothing but Russian poetry about her. Bad grammar, too."

"That's because you downloaded a cheap translator off of the internet," Orbot sighed, taking the grimore away. "Now could you please focus- Something's coming!"

The two robots went into their compact modes and tucked themselves behind a bookshelf. The buzz of a moth-like familiar came and went. It was through this method that the electronic pair had infiltrated the Matou Manor. Although Zouken's familiars and Boundary Field would have noticed living creatures, they completely ignored the robots. So long as Orbot and Cubot did nothing to draw their attention, the flying worms would not notice the robots.

Shinji also ignored the robots. He had smuggled them into the Manor by keeping his bedroom window open, and assumed they would hide under his bed while Shinji did his research . That they would sneak into the clan library undetected came as a mild surprise, though not unwelcome one. Orbot in particular was good when discarded books needed to be put back in their shelves.

Shinji hadn't done this sort of thing for a while. When he had first learned of his family's history, he had thrown himself into the library, eagerly preparing to master the spells when it was his turn to learn the craft. Then he found that Oh, Never Mind, We Don't Need You, Son. That had soured Shinji scholarly habits. The Holy War had given the Matou teen new reason to skim the tomes, but Shinji had put more focus on increasing Rider's powers than learning what he had to tell Eggman- namely, what happened once all but one of the Servants had been killed.

The answer was here, he was sure of it.

* * *

Shirou wasn't sure what he was doing. He had arrived at the deserted high school to wait for either Sonic or Saber to show up and take the Chaos Emerald off of his hands- but was that the right decision? He had chosen to go to Homurahara instead of his house, or even Tohsakah's, because of the fear that doing so would give a particularly dangerous Servant an excuse to invade their homes.

Now that he was at the empty campus, Shirou realized what a mistake he had made. Even with the antics of the Sonic's-worlders (as he had taken to call them), the rule of secrecy was still being upheld. If a Master wanted to attack a populated area, they would have to expend precious Prana to hide their activities from normal people. A location devoid of witnesses- _like the school_\- would spare them the need to do anything of the sort. If a Servant was fast enough, they wouldn't even need to create a Boundary Field…

Shirou heard a rustling noise, and his entire body tensed. The smart thing to do would be to put the Emerald down, and run off before someone came….

Put it down? Why would he do that? And why was his spine tingling?

The Emerald was having a dangerous effect on him. He should let it go…

No, he couldn't. What if he lost it?

Shirou suddenly became aware that he was at war with himself. He also became aware of the Boundary Field suddenly covering the area. It wasn't much- just enough to make sure anyone on the outside stayed out.

"I must say, this is _so _frustrating," A woman's voice said, "But I suppose it's the Prana from an alternate universe that is to blame."

Shirou heard footsteps, and saw a figure step into his line of sight. She wore a cloak with a hood that covered the top of her head. Only that was lower than her eyes were visible. Shirou realized that his Command Seals were warm, which meant only one thing. And having seen or heard about the other Servants, he knew exactly who stood before him.

Caster's lips curved into an unpleasant smile. "Give me the Chaos Emerald, please."

Shirou tightened his grip on the jewel. "And if I don't?" He didn't bother questioning how Caster knew what it was.

Caster chuckled, and not in a good way. "Oh, do you really have to ask?" She held up her hand, which was already glowing with an unearthly light. "**Machia Hecatia Graea**"

Shirou was already in motion as dozens of beams, each the width of a telephone pole, shot towards him…

* * *

_What am I doing? _Archer thought. He was keeping a lookout as always, but now found his mind wandering. Ever since Sonic and his friends (and enemies) showed up, everything Archer had planned for spiraled out of control.

At first, the plan was simple; Wait until an opportunity rose, then use his Independent Action to kill his younger self in the hopes that the time paradox would erase his existence completely. Archer knew that if he didn't, he would grow up naively believing in the path of a hero. That path would lead him to making a contract with Gaia, the spirit of the world, and becoming a Counter Guardian, in order to save innocent lives from a disaster. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. After all, a Counter Guardian was someone who fought to protect the world.

Unfortunately, the greatest threats to humanity were _humans themselves. _Archer found himself being summoned to key points in time, with no purpose other than to massacre the people there. It only took a few of these genocides for Archer to realize that at the rate he was going, head be killing more people than he saved. It would all add up eventually. Archer couldn't take it anymore. And every time he saw Shirou, he would be reminded of the foolish idealism that led to his never-ending hell.

Then Sonic showed up, and Shirou latched onto him like a little kid who just met Santa Claus. And why not? Shirou 's dream of being a hero had never been taken seriously, not even by close friends. But now there were people who not applauded the Emiya Mages aspirations, but were willing to give real advice. During meetings between the two Master teams and friends, Sonic would constantly put in his own two cents, calling upon past experiences. And Shirou would always ask for more, like a good student hoping to learn from the teacher.

Archer couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. He had never met anyone like in _his _life.

The sound of helicopter blades spinning pulled Archers attention. He then heard Omochao's voice say, "Press A twice to do a Homing Shot!"

Confused, Archer went out to the front where Rin had insisted the little toy stay. After setting off its motion sensors for the fifth time, she decided that as master of the house the annoying machine would "stand guard" on the front porch.

_Rin didn't tell me the Boundary Field had been triggered, so it must be another probe, _Archer thought, _From the sound of things, she didn't hear Omochao. Good, maybe I can Analyze it without her watching…_

But when Archer arrived, he didn't see anything. Just Omochao bobbing in the air. No footprints, no treads, no sign that anything had been out front. Archer didn't like it. _Something _had set off the robot, but there was nothing there. Not even Archers finely tuned senses could detect…

Archer ran back into the mansion as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn't stop until he reached where Tails plugged in the Miles Electric. Turning the device on, Archer accessed the Energy Radar and began to punch in commands. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking.

* * *

Outside, Rin had finally- After much protest- relented and agreed to let Tails outside. They had just gotten word that Sonic had been pinned down by Lancer. It was agreed that if the normally pragmatic Servant (by his Masters command) was being reckless, then they would have to be too. While Tails would go meet Shirou at the high school, she and Archer would back Sonic up. It was a risky approach, but, like before at Eggman's public assault, their options were limited.

"…And whatever you do, don't mess with the GPS settings," Tails was saying as he fiddled with Rin's wrist, "I've got them locked onto Sonic's location. Just go where the arrow's pointing."

Rin looked at the arrow that appeared on the communicator's screen. The Mage within her would have preferred a mystical solution, but the very desperate person with limited time was grateful for the shortcut. It was a conflict that started the minute she let Tails set up shop.

"…And if you need to call us for anything, _don't_," Tails instructed firmly, "No offense, but you kinda stink at electronics."

"No I don't." Rin denied falsely.

"It took you five minutes to figure out how to turn the Miles Electronic on." Tails deadpanned.

"That doesn't count. It's technology from another dimension." Rin defended.

"Right," Tails nodded with half-closed eyelids, "That's why you should let Archer push the buttons from now on-"

"_Don't move!_" Archer screamed from back door.

Rin and Tails jumped. Before their feet had even left the ground, Archer had Projected a bow and fired a sword directly at them. It connected with _something_ no more than a foot away from his apparent targets, creating a small explosion. Within the smoke, a figure wielding a katana could be seen.

"Well, that was unexpected," Assassin said casually, lowering his blade. "I guess I should have been more mindful of those strange devices, hmm?"

"Assassin." Archer growled, half stunned. The samurai had never left the Temple Gate in his own timeline. This was one more change caused by Sonic and company appearing, he knew it. Without stopping to give an explanation, Archer charged at Assassin, Projecting his swords. He bore down on the invading Servant, only to have his blows effortlessly parried.

Archer didn't want to admit it, but he was worried. Part of the reason why he, a typically weak Servant, had been able to fight so strongly against heavy-hitters like Berserker and Lancer was that he had already seen them fight, from his younger self's perspective. Even if it had all been a blur at the time, Archer's recreation abilities allowed him to, in time, work out how they fought. And the knowledge empowered him.

Assassin, on the other hand, was a different story. During Archer's Grail War, the samurai had been forced to remain at the Ryuudou Temple Gate by his Master, away from most of the War. As far as Archer knew, Assassin had only fought once against Saber, and unfortunately, his younger self had only arrived in time to witness the end of their duel. But from what Saber had said at the time, in that time, was that Assassin was an uncommonly skilled swordsman. Had it not been for the stairs they fought on, the samurai may have triumphed over the knight.

"Assassin? The guy from the Temple?" Tails asked from the air. He was in "Copter-mode" and was airlifting Rin from the danger zone. "How'd he get here without triggering your force field? He's not a robot!"

"That's the Assassin-class' True Concealment skill," Rin explained. She began to dig through her pouch- not easy to do while being lifted by her shoulders. "Assassins can make themselves completely unnoticeable. That's their only advantage- Not even Masters can sense their presence when it's active."

Tails gulped. "A magic ghost that can make itself _super_-invisible? That's horrible!"

"Luckily, Assassins are meant to send against other Masters," Rin stated, "Compared to the other classes, they're not that powerful."

Tails looked at the battle taking place. "He's doing pretty well against Archer."

Archer heard that remark. He also heard Rin's exposition on the fortitude of the Assassin-class. Naturally, he felt a little embarrassed that he hadn't ended the battle sooner. But Assassin was very skilled at diverting and misdirecting Archer's swords. This was a fight that would not that he could win quickly. However, he had his own questions.

"I'm surprised your Master let you leave your post," Archer said during a brief separation, "I was under the impression that you chained to that gate."

Assassin smirked. "Don't mistake incompetence for malice, Archer. My Master normally wouldn't have the power to let me leave the Ryuudou Temple's leylines, but she's recently come into some…very useful charms to compensate," He held up a hand, showing a gold ring around his middle finger. "I'm sure you're already familiar with their beauty?"

Archer gritted his teeth. Power Rings! So that was it. Of _course _the other Masters would eventually figure out how the elements from Sonic's world could benefit them. Even if they didn't reach the end of the Special Zone, they would still have the Rings.

Before the battle could go any further, Assassin vanished. Archer was confused- but ceased to be when he had to block a _Gandre _shot. Rin was no longer being held up, and Tails was no longer in sight.

"He's circling behind you!" Tails' voice shouted from behind, "_Four o'clock!_"

Archer whirled about and felt steel meet steel. Assassin was there, looking a little annoyed. Out of the corner of his eye, Archer saw Tails, wearing a pair of goggles. He recognized them as the improvised infrared goggles Tails had made earlier.

"Tails, throw those to me!" Archer yelled, breaking away from Assassin. He caught the goggles in his hand and quickly put them on. He was immediately impressed. The computerized readout not only show much Prana Assassin's body contained (Tails had used one of Jin's familiars as a unit of measurement), but it also shown the Servant's body temperature (Higher than the average human, naturally), the outdoor temperature, what direction Archer was standing in, and the local time.

"So _that's _what those do…" Assassin noted with a voice full of comprehension. He didn't sound very upset that his one real advantage had been taken away. If anything, he was pleased to have figured it out.

Archer didn't like it. Then again, as far he could recall, the samurai Servant had always been rather chipper and affable. Still, the instincts for danger that he had spent years developing and honing were buzzing like a cell phone during a movie.

"What are you going to do now, Assassin?" Rin asked, preparing to fire another Gem. "Your class was never meant to fight other Servants head-on. How do you intend on completing your mission outnumbered?"

Of course, even the weakest Servant was still in a class beyond any human being, normally. Tails and Rin would be hard pressed to seriously back Archer up. But Rin believed her words would draw Assassin's attention, giving her Servant the opening he needed to end the fight.

But Assassin just laughed. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out what looked a keychain. It was glowing, and had transparent rune floating above it.

_That looks like one of the charms the Temple sells during festivals. _Rin and Archer thought simultaneously.

"Before sending me here, my Master had this prepared," Assassin explained, "She'll be a bit upset that I had to use it, however."

"What does it do?" Tails asked cautiously. He was dancing on his toes, clearly prepared to move when the situation called for it.

Assassin frowned. "You know, I'm not sure. Let's find out!"

Assassin threw the charm into the ground. The minute the trinket made contact with the earth, Rin and Archer felt a powerful burst of Magecraft being invoked. Barely a second passed when the ground began to shake. Out from the soil and grass came dozens of skeletons, clawing their way onto the surface like a horde of stop-motion characters. Before long the entire back yard was full of animated bones. The rattling was deafening.

Assassin raised an eyebrow. "Oh. That's disappointing," He looked at Tails, whose namesake appendages were stiff and sticking straight out in shock. "I was expecting something a bit more."

One skeleton lunged at Tails, who regained his wits in time to duck away. He briefly curled into a Spin Dash and plowed through several more skeletons. Bones flew into the air, only to reassemble themselves once they landed on the ground.

"Aww, man! They're pulling together like in video games!" Tails ground, stopping by Jin's side.

"In video games?" Rin asked, taking a fighting stance. She couldn't waist all of Gems on the skeletons. "Haven't you fought these sorts of things in real life?"

"No, Knuckles is the one who usually deals with spooky stuff."

* * *

_There's something spooky going on in this town, _Knuckles thought, punching some sort of mutant startfish into a gooey paste. _I'd bet my left fist on it._

The day had been going relatively well for the Echidna. He had gotten up early, had a good breakfast (That Issei kid wasn't so bad in the kitchen) and gotten to work on his search for the Chaos Emeralds. While the repeated disruptive signals were annoying, Knuckles had learned to ignore them. For now, he already knew the location of one Emerald. His plan was to go into the Special Zone and retrieve it yesterday had hit a snag when someone else had snuck inside and used up the gate's power. Hopefully, they had not reached the end and gotten the Emerald. Knuckles would find out if the Special Zone entrance reappeared.

But on his way, he had gotten jumped by the aforementioned starfish monsters. They weren't particularly strong, but what they lacked in obvious threat they made up with sheer tenacity. Luckily, they were more focused on going after him than any of the screaming bystanders who happened to wander by.

_What they heck are these things? _Knuckles thought, wiping his fist on a wall. _They're like Dark Gaia monsters, only uglier and full of juice. Eww._

As Knuckles pondered, he something out of the corner of his eye. It was young woman, with tied up blond hair in a blue dress and white hair. There was something about her dimenor that was was something unusual about her, he could tell...

And she seemed to be in a hurry.

Knuckles felt torn. Part of him, most of him, wanted to go check out the Special Zone and bring the Chaos Emerald back to the Temple. However, there was a small, nagging component of his grey matter that kept trying to say that the blond girl was important somehow.

_Grrr, this is going to keep me up at night. _Knuckles thought, chasing after the blonde. _Where the heck is she running to?_

* * *

Shirou panted, sweat running down his brow. So far, he had successfully either avoided or blocked Caster's attacks, mostly by Projecting the _Atlas_ as Archer did. However, it would only be a matter of time before Caster decided to get serious. It was plainly obvious that she was just toying with Shirou, clearly enjoying his exhaustion. Or maybe she wasn't as powerful as that, but was a terrific actor. Whatever was going on, Shirou realized that his own life would run out before Caster's patience. This was a stalemate with a burning fuse.

Drawing energy from the Chaos Emerald was out, too. Shirou had the unnerving feeling that pulling Prana from the jewel would be like putting a hole in a dam; too much would come out at once and destroy where it led, which in Shirou's case would lead to another "Swords exploding from the body" scenario.

Yeah, Shirou did _not _want that happening again.

There was only one way to solve this problem. And he could only do it three times. He had to make it count.

Caster saw Shirou lift his hand. Underneath her hood, her eyes gleamed.

"Saber, by the power of the Command Seal…" Shirou shouted as the marks began to glow. "_I order you to my side!_"

There was a bright flash of light. There was _another _flash of light. A beam fired from Caster's hands flew across the courtyard, only to be knocked into the air. Standing before Shirou was Saber. She was clad in her armor, had her sword out, and stood resolutely against the attacking Servant.

"My, my, the Servant Saber," Caster purred, nonplussed by how easily her attack was stopped. "I was wondering when you would arrive."

Saber did not respond. However, her eyes burned with a message that was all too clear. As she glared daggers into the enchanting Servant, she said in hushed tones to Shirou, "Are you unhurt, Shirou?"

"Feeling better," Shirou said, once more feeling a small trace of vitality return to him. "I was able to block and dodge most of her attacks. I think she was trying prolong the battle, for some reason…"

That didn't make any sense. The fastest way to eliminate a rival Servant was to kill their Master. Why would Caster purposely delay herself of such a an easy victory? This had the stench of a plot. Saber narrowed her eyes, trying to determine Caster's scheme.

Caster shivered. "Ahhh, that fierce gaze on a such a cute face…it's to _die for!_"

Saber grimaced. Or, more likely, this Caster was certifiably nuts. The last one certainly was.

Caster unleashed another beam of light. Instead of dodging or even deflecting it, Saber just stood resolutely, acting as a wall to shield her Master. The ray of Mana just washed over her. Shirou's eyes widened in shock. While he had known from the outset that his Servant had something called a Dragon-Affinity which granted her a high magic resistance, seeing it in action was a sight to behold.

Saber charged through the onslaught undeterred, and slashed at Caster once she was close enough. Before Excalibur could connect, Caster teleported away. The pressure from Saber's slash created a wind that put a sizable crack in one of the school walls.

Caster reappeared several yards away. While she didn't appear harmed, her normal confidence-bordering-on-arrogance had clearly developed a crack. Her hood being flipped over to show her sweating face was a big indicator.

"I see that winning you over will not be such an easy feat," Caster murmured, "So good that I came prepared."

Both Shirou and Saber felt the ground crackle, infused with Prana. At first, Shirou thought it was the work of those strange marks he had found the day he met Rider. But that power had been terrible, evil, with a feeling of decay. This felt different…

Before Shirou could think more, dozens of twisted skeletons burst from the ground. It wasn't long before the entire school looked like the cover of a heavy metal album. However, while Shirou was unnerved by the event, Saber remained unmoved. This wasn't the first time a Caster had tried to prevail by means of a summons. And thankfully, compared to the vile familiars of Bluebeard, these skeletons were a much fainter presence. They lacked the unnatural malice and taint those demons bore. However, there was something about the battlefield that still made Saber uneasy.

_Am I still worried about Shirou, _Saber thought, _Or is there something else to Caster's tactics that I'm missing?_

The best course of action would be to take Shirou and retreat...but a shimmer in the air told Saber that doing so would be impossible. Caster had set up a Boundary Field, and the knight sensed that it did more than repel.

It was a kind that entraped.

_So, she has no intention of letting us go, _Saber realized, _Which means the fastest way to save Shirou is to destroy the source of Prana!_

With a burst of Prana, Saber threw herself once more at Caster...

* * *

"What the heck!? Where'd she go!?" Knuckles yelled, running out in the streets. His presence caused a stir as shocked people stared at the Echidna running in the street. While Knuckles had initially stayed out of sight while he trailed Saber, her vanishing act had caused him to lose his caution.

Grumbling, Knuckles stopped and looked around. His senses were now prickling, and he felt a strange disturbance in air.

And it was coming from the direction of the high school.

* * *

Kirie Kotomine did not walk. He did not run. He _strode_, with purpose, without acknowledging the world around him. Only the most analytical eye, with extension foreknowledge on his subject, would be able to tell that the priest was in a hurry.

Kirie was not used to losing control of a situation. It rarely happened. In his entire life, succeeding in whatever his chosen task had simply been a matter of course. The only time he had truly failed at anything was when Emiya Kiritsugu killed him during the Fourth War…and even that had been undone by the Holy Grails blessing.

Sonic, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter. Ever since he appeared, Kirie 's life had become a series of burdens. The blue blur's heroic tendencies, combined with a total lack of fear, meant that Kirie had to spend every waking moment trying to cover up everything Sonic or one of his friends did In public. While he had help from the Church and the Mages Association, coordinating two groups with different interests was a chore Kirie was not fond of. Just yesterday, he had to infiltrate a military base in order to arrange a tasteful editing of one pilot's report. Just getting in unnoticed had been a hassle. Even more troubling was the talk of sending agents- either Enforcers from the Association, or worse, Executioners from the Churches Burial Agency. In order for either group to operate in Fuyuki, they would need the cooperation of the Overseer. If that happened, someone might find the hidden room he had prepared for Gilgamesh. And even the most coldblooded, stonehearted Mage would be put off by a crypt full of living corpses that used to be survivors of the Fire that had their Mana drained every day.

(Well, Zouken's wouldn't, but that only made it worse.)

All in all, this had to stop. Kirie had put a lot of planning into this Grails War, and he wasn't going to have everything he spent ten years preparing for be upended by band of super-powered mascot characters. Luckily, he already knew where most of the so-called tanukis were hiding. According to air force reports and Lancer's observations, the _kitsune _called Tails was most likely being kept by Rin. It would be no problem retrieving the fluffy little ace pilot and handing him over to the Association. The red _tanuki _Lancer encountered would be a trifle more difficult to capture, if only because it may have fallen under Caster's control. Why she didn't turn that one in for a Command Seal eluded Kirie. The real trick was Sonic. He had long figured out that the Hedgehog was being given sanctuary by young Emiya. Unfortunately, Sonic tended to either vacate the premises and Fuyuki itself for hours on end, or stayed within its boundaries with Saber. Gilgamesh had made it clear that Lancer was not to attack the knight until he decided it was time. And one did not ignore the King of Heroes' commands lightly.

Therefore, it was imperative that Kirie kill Sonic _now_, while Lancer had him contained. It would be difficult- Sonic was fast and skilled enough to fight Servants equally -but Kirie has once been an agent of the burial society.

He would be enough to turn the tide.

* * *

"_Gae_-"

POW!

Lancer blocked Sonic's Homing Shot with his Spears handle. The Hedgehog, once deflected, would circle around in a new attempt to take Lancer's back. And from there Lancer would try to skewer It was in that pattern that the battle had fallen into. They were at a stalemate, and both of them knew it. Sonic, however, wanted nothing more than to ditch the Servant hounding him and go help his friends. Unfortunately, whenever he saw an opening to break free of the duel, that would also be an opening for Lancer to use his Noble Phantasm- and Sonic would be forced to go back and keep Lancer from completing the spell.

_I need to find a way out of this and get to Tails, _Sonic thought, wiping his chin. _I can't wait for him to start firing blanks…No idea how many of those 'Time Spears' he has left!_

Before Sonic could think up or put a plan into motion, something sharp rimmed into his side. Yelling in pain, Sonic stumbled as his Rings scattered from his body. For one horrible moment, Sonic thought Lancer would be on him to finish the job- but the spear didn't come. As he scrambled to grab as many Rings as he could before they vanished, Sonic saw that Lancer looked upset.

"What the Hell are you doing?" The Spearman said in a controlled but clearly angry voice, " I didn't ask for your help!"

"I mean no disrespect, but the situation's resolution is far more pressing then your personal grudges." A deep voice said _smoothly_. It had come from the same direction as the knife.

Sonic looked and saw the unwanted reinforcement. He had seen that man before, on a photograph at Rings mansion. It was the so-called Overseer of the Holy Grails War. The guy who basically put a hit on Sonic and his friends just for helping those in need.

Kirie Kotomine.

_He's here only a minute and I already wanna punch his face in. _Sonic thought, When He realized something. "Wait a minute! _You're _Lancer's Master?!"

Kirie didn't bat an eye. "I am afraid you are mustaken," The priest said, "I am the Overseer of this War, as appointed by the Holy Church," He gave a bow that was entirely devoid of anything, save sarcasm. "My name is Kirie Kotomine."

_I'll bet, _Sonic thought, not believing it for a minute. Aloud, he asked, "If you and Lancer aren't a team, why help him? You're supposed to be impartial, right?"

"That is true,"Kirie conceded, "However, I have other duties to perform. Chief among those is maintaining the secrecy of Magecraft. Which requires, unfortunately for you, eliminating those whose actions risk exposure."

"Y'know, I've wondered what kinda church would help evil wizards or whatever hide," Sonic said, reaching into his left glove. "Shouldn't you be all 'Burn the witch' and stuff?"

Kirie chuckled mirthlessly. "It seems you underestimate the tenacious state of affairs that hold this world together."

Kirie launched into a lecture on the now delicate rivalry between the Holy Church and Mages Association. He spoke of how the Church became involved in the Holy War, as they could not allow the term Holy Grails be used so frivolously. And Sonic ignored every word. He had already heard this history lesson from Shirou and Rin. Kirie wasn't telling him anything new. What he needed right now was a way out this situation.

Instead, Sonic pulled out the cell phone and did a systems check. Looks like the Boundary Field Lancer set up didn't stop the service. _Good_. And all of the jumping and running around didn't damage the camera. And, oh, look at that, it even had email.

_Now we're getting somewhere, _Sonic thought as he hatched a plan. _And it looks like motor mouth is starting to wind down. Good, this is already taking too long._

"…Do you understand our position?" Kirie finished rhetorically.

"Sure do," Sonic replied, spinning the phone in his hand like a baton. "You care more about covering your own butt than the people getting killed by this stupid war!"

Sonic was off like shot, and Kirie was ready. Or more specifically, Lancer was ready, and blocked Sonic's assault with husband spear, putting the handle between Hedgehog and priest. Kirie planned to follow up with his own martial arts, killing Sonic with a few well-timed strikes.

But Sonic suddenly jumped, and as he sailed over their heads, something went _click-click-click. _Landing on their other side, he examined the photos he took on the phones screen. The evil grin that sprouted gave Kirie a horrible premonition.

"Not bad! The camera loves you guys," Sonic chuckled, and held out the phone. It had a candidate image of Kirie and Lancer. "And I'll bet the cops'll love this too."

"What you saying?" Kirie asked tensely.

Sonic gave the priest a level glare. "I'm saying that if you don't have Lancer back off and let me help my friends, I'll hit the 'Send to all' and show the world what good friends you guys are."

"And you think that a single picture will expose anything?" Kirie asked, forcing himself to sound unimpressed. While a hierarchical Mage wouldn't have understood the full extent of what Sonic was threatening, the priest did. He sent out a mental command to Lancer to steal the phone, but to his shock the Servant did not react. He tried a bluff. "Please, don't insult me with such a baseless threat. But, if you truly feel the need to barter, perhaps you can accompany me to the church. We can hide you and your friends if need be." At least, hide their bodies…

But Sonic just laughed. "Sorry, but this offer is non-negotiable. And don't worry, this episode of Candid Camera won't expose magic- just the fact the local bishop is in cahoots with the 'Spear-weilding Murderer.'"

Damn him! Ten years ago, Kirie had been a suspect for the murder of Tohsakah Tokiomi. The chaos caused by the Great Fire had put the investigation on the backburner. Some bribes and applied hypnosis had caused the matter to be dropped entirely. However, if Sonic made good on his threat, it would be the beginning of the end- With all of the mayhem caused by Eggman, if Kirie was fingered for anything, both the Church and Mages Association would have him removed, peacefully or not, in order to cover up what was happening in Fuyuki.

Kirie couldn't afford to let that happen to him. And Sonic knew it.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta catch up with my buds," Sonic said, turning on his heels. "Catch ya on the flip side!"

A cloud of dust was all that remained as Sonic ran off. Kirie just stood there, grinding his teeth. He hadn't expected someone who acted so happy-go-lucky to pull out such a cutthroat tactic. It was the kind of thing Emiya Kiritsugu would do, equal parts pragmatic and reckless. And it

"He got you good, Father," Lancer said, using Kirie ' s formal title in case another Master or Servant was watching. Better to uphold the illusion for now. "I guess we're backing off for now."

"Why didn't you take his phone?" Kirie hissed, infuriated by Lancer's gentle mocking.

Lancer shrugged. "He's faster than me. Yeah, I know I'm supposed to be the fastest Servant, but Sonic's in a class of his own. If I made a grab for it, he could have hit the send button..." He paused. "Where'd he get that, anyway? If he went into a store, you would have heard about it, right?"

Kirie didn't answer. He knew damn well where Sonic had gotten that phone. In fact, Kirie had bought it several months ago for Rin's birthday. It had been a joke at the time. He knew that Rin would never touch anything more complicated than a calculator. However, the expression his ward had made when she received it was well worth the expense. Never in his life had Kirie ever expected his little joke to backfire on him in such a way.

_Rin, you and I are going to have _words _when we next meet. _The priest thought darkly.

* * *

Rin yelled something. It was hard to understand over the constant din of clattering bones, clashing swords, and other violent noises, but as she roundhouse kicked one skeleton into another, it's meaning was clear. Perhaps.

_Glad she's having fun_, Archer thought as he parried Assassin's sword over and over, _Too bad he is too._

And Assassin was clearly enjoying himself. Archer hated it, and for one important reason; the samurai was the better swordsman. Archer had the feeling that if Assassin really wanted to, he could have killed the bowman very early in their clash. Of course, Archer had no intention to continually fighting on Assassin's terms. Whenever possible, he would break free and try to snipe Assassin with an Overloaded sword. Unfortunately, Assassin was just as good as deflecting the projectiles as he was with regular blows.

"I must admit, you are a very peculiar Heroic Spirit," Assassin noted as they fought, "All of these swords, yet it feels as if none are truly your own. Could you be a false Servant, like myself?"

"False?" Archer repeated, a bit confused. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the propellor for the _Tornado _begin to turn.

Assassin broke away from Archer. "Sasaki Kojirou never existed. I myself have no true name, the only thing I ever possessed was a skill with the sword. For all of her power, my Master couldn't summon a proper Servant, and instead had to satisfy herself with a fake like me."

"A fake. Yeah, I guess we're similar in that regard, at least," Archer muttered, while thinking on Assassin's words. _'Her'. So, his Master really is a woman. Unless he's lying..._

"In fact, until very recently, I was stuck at the temple because she couldn't be bothered to share her Mana with me," Assassin continued as he and Archer circled each other, "For a wandering swordsman like myself, being trapped in a single place was like a very cold Hell."

"Don't tell me," Archer interrupted, "You're Master found some of those Power Rings and used them to fuel your actions?"

Assassin smirked. "When life gives you lemons, you know."

They clashed again. After a minute of thrusts, parries, slices, and blocks, the two Servants broke apart.

"I truly am grateful to meet such a skilled opponent," Assassin complimented, "So, as a token of my thanks, I would like to show you something special. It's a technique that I've spent my whole life developing.

"_Tsubame Gaeshi!_"

Assassin's sword began to move, but something about it made Archer's eyes water. It seemed to bend in ways that his mind told him were impossible. It was if he was making strikes in multiple directions at the same time. But that was..._impossible._

Before Assassin could finish his attack, he jumped aside and the ground he was on exploded. Archer looked up and saw that the_Tornado _no longer where it had been before. While it hadn't taken off, the biplane had apparently wheeled its way around the yard until its nose was pointed at the duel. Archer could see a trail of smoke wafting out from beneath the aircraft, and a fluffy pilot in the cockpit.

"Test of weapons system complete!" Tails yelled, "Rin, hit the dirt and don't get up until the noise stops!"

Archer smirked. So _that's _where Tails had gotten to. In all of the confusion, he had lost track of the Fox. Pretty clever of him. And rather than waste time with another attempt to blast Assassin, Tails steered the _Tornado _around, mowing down the skeletons with its guns. Rin, seeing what was happening, wisely followed Tails' advice and put herself as low to the ground as bad Assassin was nimble enough to avoid the missile.

The Servant in question wasn't very pleased, if his expression was any indication. No doubt he didn't like having his fight with Archer interrupted.

_Well, tough cookies, _Archer thought bitterly, _If wanted a proper duel he should have rented a stadium._

"I suppose this is your victory for now," Assassin sighed, sheathing his sword. "It would have been nice to see this battle to the end." And with that, he turned and ran off.

"Are you giving up?" Archer yelled, chasing after him. "That's hardly honorable, isn't it?"

"I'm simply at my limit," Assassin called back, "My Master instructed me to fight you, but I'm not going to die pointlessly, especially for such a duplicitous woman. But I think I've served her ends enough for today."

With that, Assassin vanished from sight, once more using his True Concealment to hide from Archer's vision. The bowman scowled, knowing that it was pointless to search for the samurai. Turning around, he went back to help Tails and Rin finish clearing out the skeletons. Thankfully, whatever Magecraft Assassin used to summon them was starting to run out. Fewer and fewer were reconstructing themselves. And without Assassin to worry about, destroying them was less a fight for survival and more of a chore. The ease gave Archer time to think on Assassin's words.

Served her ends enough... it was clear that Assassin had no true loyalty to his Master, whoever they were (The odds of it being Kazuki-_sensei_'s fiancee increased with the usage of "her"). That might have explained why Assassin had been invested in winning the battle. But how could just fightin serve any ends?

"Whoa! Looks like a heavy metal album exploded here!"

Sonic the Hedgehog had arrived. Fashionably late, apparently.

"Sonic! Are you okay?" Tails asked, flying out of the cockpit. "What happened with Lancer?"

"He and his Master tried to double-team me, but I managed to outsmart them," Sonic said, looking around. "Looks like you guys made out okay."

"No, we didn't," Rin growled, pulling a bone that had gotten tangled in one of her pigtails free. "Assassin attacked us and got away before we could finish him off."

"Assassin? You mean the guy at the temple?" Sonic asked, "I didn't know he had skeletons in his closet."

"Would you stop the bad jokes, this is serious!" Rin snarled, her patience at the brinking point. "I think this attack was a delaying tactic. Assassin's Master wanted to keep us from getting to Emiya-_kun._"

Sonic hummed, and turned on his communicator. "Yo, Shirou! You doin' all right?" No response. "Uh oh. Tails, keep that propellor spinning!"

* * *

Technically, Shirou wasn't in any immediate danger. He just didn't hear his communicator beep. Granted, it would have been hard to hear anything over the sounds of bones rattling and getting smashed to pieces, magically-invoked laser beams firing, and his own Servant yelling battle cries as she smashed skeletons to pieces. Meanwhile, Caster teleported around, trying to blast Saber or Shirou with her offensive Magecraft. It may have worked, except Saber's instincts allowed her to counter any assaults, and she never strayed far from her Master. While there were those felt 'immediate danger' should include being caught up in a ferocious battle between Heroic Spirits from bygone eras, in truth Shirou felt relatively at ease. He wasn't going to let his guard down any time soon, but nor was he going to panic. The fight had fallen into a steady rhythm.

_But we can't do this forever, _Shirou thought, dodging one skeleton before crushing it with a Projected Kansho. _My and Saber's Prana are going to run out eventually. Is Caster's plan to try to exhaust us? But she runs the risk of draining herself as well that way. All of this Magecraft can't be easy to fuel._

And apparently it wasn't. Soon enough, the mob of skeletons began to thin out, until there was very little between Saber and Caster. Both ladies were clearly exhausted, but neither were willing to show the other any weakness.

"What is the meaning of this, Caster?" Saber asked, "Are you giving up?"

"Hardly," Caster sneered, "You were having so much trouble that I decided to be generous. If you want, I'll even continue this duel with my eyes closed."

Saber narrowed her eyes. It was clear that Caster was baiting her, but the knight's patience was ebbing. She needed to end this battle _now. _If Caster was going to be so careless as to leave herself open, then she could not wait to decipher the witch's intentions. Trusting in her natural immunity to Magecraft to protect her, Saber charged at her foe. Caster fired another beam, but when Saber batted it aside, she fell to the ground and her knees.

"Oh…oh, please! Don't!" Caster whimpered, holding up her hands in fright. "I'm sorry! Just don't hurt me!"

The witch's tone had gone from haughty to terrified so rapidly that it threw Saber off her game. The blond Servant halted her advance so quickly that her feet caused a screech as she pushed them against the ground. Sword still held over her head, Saber tried to determine where the trap was.

And then something red fell on her.

* * *

If there was one trick that Knuckles prided himself on, it was his gliding. Of course, calling it a mere trick insulted the skill he had developed during those years on Angel Island. By spreading out his quills _just so_, Knuckles could catch air currents soar through the sky like the world's toughest paper airplane with spiked fists. Although it lacked the means of elevation like Tails' 'copter-mode', (unless he hit and updraft) it was much faster, allowing Knuckles to cover more ground if he jumped from a high enough point. And when Saber vanished, he did just that. After sensing the mysterious forces building up at the school, Knuckles scaled the nearest building and once at the top, took off to ride the skies. He could have sworn that he heard some shouts about a UFO, but didn't see anything else in the air.

Nearing Homurahara Academy, Knuckles didn't so much as see the mystical field surrounding the campus as he sensed it. Defining how the sixth sense worked was tricky. However, once he got close enough, he could make out some kind of battlefield. A red-haired teenager was standing in the center of what looked like a giant collection of bones. A small distance away from the youth two more figures were together, a blond standing over-

Knuckles felt his heart leap into his throat. It was Ms. Caster! He would recognize that that purple hood anywhere. And it looked like she was being threatened!

Without another thought (As typically for him in these situations), Knuckles narrowed his quills and went into a nosedive- fist first. He was moving so quickly that Caster's attacker didn't have time to react when Knuckles made his presence known by means of a right hook.

Saber felt the blow and did her best to roll with the punch, the impact did send her back quite a few feet. She recovered quick enough, only to be stunned again when she saw who had blindsided her. "You!"

From his spot, Shirou's recognized Knuckles immediately from the pictures Tails had saved on his Miles Electric. He also figured out what was going on, and even if he hadn't, the first words out of Knuckles would have cleared up the matter.

"Back off, shorty!" Knuckles shouted, "There's no way I'm letting you hurt Ms. Caster!"

"Oh! My hero!" Caster said

Shirou groaned. Of _course _Knuckles would think Saber was the enemy and Caster was just an innocent victim. And that would explain why Caster had surrounded to Saber so readily. She must have sensed Knuckles coming and was putting on a show to manipulate him into attacking the knight.

_I've got to call Sonic and have him clear this up! _Shirou thought, and looked to his wrist. To his horror, he saw that the communicator was broken. It must have been damaged while Shirou was fending off Caster.

"Back away, you fool!" Saber shouted, trying to get around Knuckles. And while she was faster than an ordinary human, Knuckles was able to keep up and and put himself between knight and witch.

"_You _back off!" Knuckles yelled, following up with a left jab. Unbeknownst to him, Caster was unable to hide her smile. Nor did either fighter notice her reaching into her cloak…

"Knuckles, stop!" Shirou yelled, running towards the fight.

Thankfully, Knuckles did. "Huh?" He asked, looking away from Saber. "How'd you know my name?"

"We're friends with Sonic the Hedgehog," Shirou explained, panting. "Please listen to me. We're _not _your enemies."

"If you're not enemies, then why are you attacking an innocent woman?" Knuckles demanded.

"That's just...a misunderstanding," Shirou said awkwardly, "Look, just calm down. Sonic's been staying at my house and told me about your world. Look," He held out the Emerald. "I found this so you guys can get home. We want to help you."

Knuckles didn't look convinced. "Oh yeah?" He asked, "Well, if you and Sonic are friends, then prove it."

"Prove it?" Shirou repeated questioningly.

"Yeah, tell me something that only Sonic would know," Knuckles challenged, "If you can."

Shirou racked his brains, trying to recall one the anecdotes Sonic had given. "Er…wasn't there one time when you got your head stuck in a drain pipe and…"

"Stop!" Knuckles yelled, waving his hands. "I believe you. That blabbermouth! I told him not to tell anyone else about that!"

Shirou allowed himself a faint smile. Things were finally looking up. All they had to do now was explain their battle against Caster….

Wait. Where _was _Caster? Shirou felt a chill when he realized that the spot where he had last saw the witch was empty.

"_Rulebreaker!_"

Both Shirou and Knuckles looked to where Saber was. Crouched before the Knights side was Caster. In the witch 's hands was a dagger with a crooked blade. The tip of which was being jammed into Saber. And while it didn't seem like the knife was actually piercing the flesh, the blond Servant looked stunned for some reason. Was she just shocked that Caster had caught her off guard?

Before anyone could ponder more, things began to happen. One of the skeletons, lying limply on the ground, came to life. It sprang into the air, and snatched the Chaos Emerald out of Shirou's hands by its teeth.

Shirou paled. "No-!"

Knuckles' became a red blur. He plowed into the skeleton, smashing it to pieces. But as most of its bones cluttered onto the ground, the skull, with the Emerald still lodged firmly in its mouth, flew though the air-

-and into Caster's hand. Then the skull crumbled away, and the red glow of the Emerald seemed to flow out and cover Caster's body. The witch let out an almost sensual moan and held up her other hand. Shirou saw that unlike before, the back of that hand had marks on it. Familiar marks. With a feeling of dread, he glanced at his own hand, which was now missing his Command Seals...

And Caster said, in voice as sweet as poisoned honey, "Oh, I've got a _really _good feeling about this."

_**To be continued**_

_Tiger Dojo:_

**Taiga: **Hohhh! Welcome! You have arrived at the Tiger Dojo! I am your instructor, Fujimura Taiga! Gaoh!

**Big: **I'm a cat. My name's Big.

**Taiga: **Ehhhh!? Where's my Number One Student?

**Big: **She couldn't make it. Here's her note.

**Taiga: **_(Reading) _"My big return is in the next chapter, so I am taking this lesson off to make myself more presentable. The very cute and marketable Illya." Why, that lazy little brat! How dare she run away at such a critical moment! Well, fine! Who needs her! Substitute Number One Student! Begin the Q and A!

**Big: **The first question is from Thunder Dragon; "What is in the trunk that Rin is so afraid of?"

**Taiga: **Ah, the forbidden tool of the Tohsakah Clan... To explain, we must first talk about the Wizard Marshal,Kishur Zelretch Schweinorg. Hundreds of years ago, he took Rin's ancestor, Nagato, and trained him in the ways of magic. Since then, several of Zelretch's prized inventions have become heirlooms of the Tohsakah Clan. Among those heirlooms is a Mystic Code called the Kaleidostick, or Ruby. This Mystic Code allows its contracted weilder to access knowledge from alternate selves of paralell universes. In short, if you needed to know how to fix cars, you can use Ruby to gain the skills of a version of you that became a car mechanic!

**Big: ** That sounds useful.

**Taiga: **However, Ruby is a total jerk who derives pleasures from the suffering of their user! Apparently, Rin used it once and Ruby put her in a really humilating situation. After that, Rin locked it up in a special chest with infinite space and swore to never use it again.

**Big: **Oh. That sounds mean.

**Taiga: **But fitting! If you don't earn your power and just take shortcuts, you'll never turn out well! Now, the second question! Hmm, this one doesn't have a signer: "Are you going to bring in the Mobians' Chaos Powers like Lightspeed Attack, Sonic Wind for Sonic, or the Wisps?" Student Big, this is your speciality! Answer the question!

**Big: **Hmm, Sonic might do the Lightspeed Attack if he feels like it. I dunno about the wisps, tho. They're from another planet, so they might not get here in time.

**Taiga: **Dang, and they're so cute, too! Oh well, we are running out of time, so we must end the session. We will see you at the next practice!

**Big: **G'bye everyone.


	12. Treasonous Witch

Chapter 12: _Treasonous Witch_

At a secret location, Agent Stuart was having a headache. Developing the network to monitor and gauge the amount of Chaos Energy (The mysterious element traceable through Eggman's technology, believed to be connected to the Chaos Emerald he sought) was still in the early stages when they had gotten multiple alerts. Flares of Chaos Energy had been detected at three separate locations. One was at the Tohsaka property, another had been at a street somewhere in the city, and the third was at the high school. While Stuart wanted to have the new prototype remote-controlled drones sent out to investigate, getting permission to launch the robots with offensive components was akin to beating his head against the wall. Unless they had solid proof that it was Eggman, none of his superiors were willing to allow the usage of military hardware in civilian areas. And now the CE rate at Homurahara Academy was skyrocketing.

"Agent Stuart!" Another agent ran up. "We just got word from local police. An aircraft was spotted crossing Fuyuki airspace. It matches the description of the bi-plane used by Sonic and Tails."

"Any guesses as to their intended destination?" Stuart asked.

The agent shook his head. "We can't say for certain," He began to type on a computer. "However, this is the plane's estimated trajectory."

The screen showed a map of Fuyuki. A dotted line appeared, with a little ball riding along it. Apparently, if the plane's path was straight, then it would pass over the high school.

"Have any of the drones we sent to Homurahara Academy sent back a report?" Stuart asked.

The agent looked awkward. "From what we've ascertained, when the unit arrived at the school, it was destroyed by a…skeleton."

Stuart felt another headache coming on. _First robots, now skeletons? What is happening to this city?_

* * *

"Caster, what the heck is going on here?" Knuckles called out, "What's with that knife?"

As she rose higher into the air, Caster looked down at her little pawn. She held out her Noble Phantasm for all to see. She knew that by using it, she had exposed her true identified, but the sheer rush from holding the Chaos Emerald overpowered whatever unease she had. As far as she was concerned, victory was hers. Nothing wrong with a little gloating.

"This is _Rule Breaker_," Caster said, "It is a sword of betrayal and negation. It's power is such that it can nullify any Magecraft in the world," She smiled evilly. "Such as, the contract between Master and Servant," She directed her gaze at Shirou. "Your Servant is now mine, Emiya Shirou."

Shirou swallowed, but his throat had become so dry it was a meaningless effort. His Command Seals, the proof of his bond with Saber, were _gone. _And combined with the sight of the Chaos Emerald in her hand, Shirou began to feel a sense of hopelessness. And once more, he was at the Fire.

Knuckles didn't really understand exactly what was happening. But, while he might have been stubborn, hardheaded, and gullible, that didn't mean he was stupid. As he watched the Chaos Emerald's light surround the woman who sheltered him, he began to have that same feeling he had whenever one of Eggman's plots came to fruition. It was a little instinct called the "Darn it, I've been had!" feeling. He took a few steps forward and held out his hand.

"Okay, Caster, I don't know what's going on, but you better hand over that Chaos Emerald," Knuckles said warningly, "Its power is lot more than an ordinary person can take!"

But Caster simply chortled. The more she held the Emerald, the more she could feel its energy flowing into her. The sheer potency of it all made her giddy with confidence. There was no way she was going to let it go now!

"Oh, Knuckles, you're concern is unneeded. My skill is far greater than the low quality of mage in this era," Caster replied, "But if you really want to help me, why don't you collect more Chaos Emeralds for me? I believe you said there were…six more?"

"For you!?" Now Knuckles was getting angry. Caster's patronizing tone was working his nerves. "Now, listen here! Those Emeralds belong to me and my friends! We need them to get home!"

But Caster laughed again, making Knuckles angrier. With both Saber and the Chaos Emerald in her grasp, she had no more reason to keep up her act of a 'poor, endangered bride' around Knuckles. In fact, she felt confident enough to make another attempt at mind control. After all, now that she had a substantial piece of Knuckles' home in her possession, it was certainly worth a shot…

But before she could do anything, Caster saw the arrow coming. Holding up her hands, she released released a wave of power that blew the arrow away. Knuckles looked to where the arrow had come from and saw Shirou holding a bow.

"Oh, you're still here," Caster said dismissively, "I had almost forgotten."

_Damn it… damn it! _Shirou thought desperately. He had hoped that with Caster preoccupied by Knuckles, he could get a shot in and maybe kill the witch. No such luck, apparently.

Caster looked down at Saber. "Saber, as the first task for your new Master, kill that boy," She held up her hand and the stolen Command Seals began to glow. "_I order you._"

Saber cried out in pain as the same eerie glow began to surround her body. She began to take jerky steps towards Shirou, her sword raised.

"Ne-never…" She gasped, struggling to resist the order. Her form shook as the war between her will and Caster's waged.

the witch frowned. "You would disobey your Master? For this inept boy?"

"You may have stolen his Command Seals…" Saber panted, her eyes blazing. "But you will _never be my Master!_"

A red blur rammed into Saber, knocking her down. Knuckles looked back at Shirou and yelled, "Kid, take your girlfriend and run!"

"What?" Shirou asked, stunned at the Echidna's actions.

"You heard me! Beat it!" Knuckles shouted, turning to glare at Caster. "Me and _Mizzzz _Caster have a few things we need to work out."

The expression on Caster's face was now devoid of humor. She sighed, "I suppose if you want something done, you need to do it yourself…"

Caster's ascension increased, until she was at roughly the same height Eggman was during his attack on the school. Around her, giant circles appeared, each the size of a car, some bigger. And within these wheels were runes from a long-forgotten era.

"**Machia Hecatia Graea**"

"Uh oh." Were the words that left Knuckles' mouth. Fitting and understated they were, as beams of light began to rain down. Shirou knew in an instant that these attacks were of a much, _much _higher strength than the ones Caster was sending out earlier. Before, she was just wearing Shirou down as part of her plan to take Saber. Now, though, Shirou had become expendable. Even if he had the Prana, there was no way his recreated Atlas shield could withstand such an assault.

But then, it turned out he needn't have worried. Before any of the rays could reach their target, something spun through the air, hitting each one and canceling them out. The weapon boomeranged around and Shirou saw that it was a stone sword.

_Berserker_'s sword.

The ground shook as the monstrous Servant thundered towards the battle. He caught the sword and soon stopped, taking a moment to glare at Shirou. Once the moment passed, he turned his glare up at Caster. Off to the side, Knuckles shivered at the sight of the immense being.

_What _IS _he? _Knuckles thought.

Caster found herself swallowing involuntarily. Even with Saber under her heel and the Chaos Emerald in hand, the sheer terror invoked by Berserker cut through the confidence she had built. As the son of Zeus, Herakles always had commanding presence. As a Servant summoned into the Berserker class, that aura had been twisted and magnified by the inherent rage of that class.

Even worse, during her observations, she had seen that Berserker's Master had a dark affection for Saber's Mast- her _ex-_Master. It was clear which side she would take in the ensuing battle.

Caster returned to the ground, landing by Saber's side. "It seems that our little gathering is becoming too crowded for my liking. I'll take my leave…and my servants!"

There was a flash, and Caster was gone. But so too was Saber!

"No!" Shirou cried. Ignoring Berserker, the Mage ran over to where the Servants had been, hoping to find some trace of them. But they were gone. And he had no idea as to where.

Remembering that Knuckles and Caster had known each other, Shirou turned to the Echidna, hoping he would shed a clue- and saw he too was gone. From what Sonic had told him, and he had personally seen, Knuckles was unlikely to have fled- Caster must have taken him as well. Shirou fell to his hands and knees as he realized that not only he had lost Saber, he had also lost one of Sonic's friends as well.

"_Onii-chan._"

Shirou looked behind. Illya, dressed for the outdoors, was walking up to him. She glanced around at the bones scattered around the courtyard.

"To think a Servant of the Caster-class would would rely on Dragon Tooth Warriors," The little girl commented.

"'Dragon Tooth'?"

Illya shrugged. "As far as familiars go, they're pretty cheap. They're name comes from the dragon fangs used to create and control them," she explained, "The only troublesome thing about them is how many there are."

"Oh," Shirou stood up. "There were a lot, so that explains it…"

Illya looked around again before focusing her red eyes on Shirou. "What happened to Saber? I don't sense her, but it doesn't feel like she died."

At first, Shirou was taken back by how blunt Illya was with her words. For a moment, he was about to berate the little Master for her apparent callousness. But Berserker's presence reminded him of what had happened the first time they were at odds.

Biting back an angry retort, Shirou said, "Caster took her."

"What do you mean?" Illya asked. She saw then saw that Shirou's Command Seals were gone from his hand. "Huh? Where'd your Seals go?"

"Like I said, Caster," Shirou said unhappily, "She used her Noble Phantasm, a crooked sword called _Rule Breaker, _to steal my Command Seals. When you showed up, she teleported away and took Saber with her."

"So, that's Caster's Noble Phantasm?" Illya asked, "A sword that can warp the contract between Master and Servant?"

"According to her, it can undo other Magecraft." Shirou went on. Talking about it made him feel a little better about what had happened.

"Then she undid the pact you and Saber made, and forged a new contract by force," Illya summarized, "Only a Mage from ancient times could do high-level Magecraft like that so quickly."

"I don't think she intended for to tell anyone else," Shirou said, "If you hadn't appeared with Berserker, I might have been killed," He smiled faintly. "Thank you."

Illya smiled broadly. "Of course! You're my _Onii-chan! _Only I can decide whether or not you live or die!"

Shirou's smile turned sheepish. "Uh, that's good to hear…I guess…"

Illya then said, "I sensed another presence here, besides yours. Was that the enemy Master?"

Shirou felt his uneasy grin drop. He sighed. He might as well admit it to someone just how badly he had failed. "No, that wasn't an enemy. It was one of…"

The loud roar of an engine cut Shirou off. He, Illya, and Berserker looked up. Approaching them, high in the sky, was a familiar red biplane. The _Tornado_! A blue dot leapt from it, quickly showing itself to be Sonic, who landed several meters away from those assembled. He looked around at the piles of bones. He then looked at Berserker.

"Please tell me this was just a game of fetch that got out of hand." The Hedgehog deadpanned. Berserker huffed.

"Sonic…" Shirou began, catching his friend's attention. "I really screwed up…"

After Tails landed the plane, Shirou told the off-worlders about what had happened. He imagined that both Sonic and Tails would be upset over his blunder. Not only had Shirou failed to protect the Emerald, but he had been unable to stop one of their friends from being taken away.

Strangely enough, while Sonic wasn't apparently happy about the turn of events, he did not seem overly upset. Just resigned.

"Okay, so, let me get this straight," Sonic said, scratching one of his quills. "Caster has Saber, Knux, _and _the Chaos Emerald," He smacked one his fist into his palm. "All right, let's do this!"

Tails nodded. "Yeah!"

Shirou blinked. "Do what?"

Sonic flashed Shirou that trademark smile. "Duh! We're gonna get our friends back, of course! What, you think I was gonna give up just like that?"

Shirou's mind stalled. "But… Aren't you upset at me? I mean, I couldn't keep Knuckles out of danger, and…"

Sonic waved a dismissive hand. "Psh! Relax, this isn't the first time Knuckles' got himself in hot water. And besides, it's not like him and Saber are dead, are they? All we gotta do is beat Caster and they'll be free!"

Shirou felt his spirit lift a little bit. Sonic was right. Neither Saber or Knuckles were killed. Caster wanted their abilities to help her plans. And it was plain that getting their cooperation would not be an easy feat. That gave the team plenty of time to plan a rescue mission. But that brought to mind another problem.

"But we don't know where Caster is," Shirou pointed out, "How can we track her down?"

"I think I can do that," Tails piped up, "Before it vanished, I was able to scan the Boundary Field with the _Tornado_'s on-board computer. I'll need Rin's help, but if I compare the readings with the other Fields here in Fuyuki, we should be able to narrow down Caster's hideout."

"She's in the RyuudouTemple."

The trio looked at Illya. The tiny Master had been idly standing by, slowing absorbing everything they had been saying. Only now she had decided to speak up. Her face was without emotion.

"The Boundary Field that was here a minute ago had the same kind of Prana as the one surrounding the mountain," Illya explained, "It's only fitting that Caster would take up residence at a place where leylines converge."

Sonic blinked. "Hold the phone. Caster can't be hanging at the Temple. That's where Assassin is."

Shirou's eyes widened in realization. "If Caster can steal Servants, why would she stop at just one? She could have easily taken Assassin…"

He was cut off by a yelp of fear from Tails. The two-tailed fox was now shaking.

"Rin and Archer are going to the Temple right now!" Tails cried in alarm.

"What?!"

"Assassin attacked us with a bunch of skeletons!" Tails explained rapidly, looking around at all of the bones. "But he ran out of power and retreated. Rin decided that it was a good time to attack his Master while their Servant was weakened. Assassin and Caster must have been working together from the start! And now she's got a Chaos Emerald!" He began to yell into his communicator. "Rin, this is Tails! Do you copy? Stay away from the Temple! Do you copy!?"

Illya looked up at Shirou. "Is a Chaos Emerald really that powerful, _Onii-chan?_"

Shirou nodded. "Yes. Just touching it was dangerous to me. I had to be careful or the energy would have overwhelmed me…" _But why did it feel so familiar…?_

Nobody noticed Rider leaping away, save Berserker. The blindfolded Servant had arrived a little later than Saber did, investigating the powerful boundary field. She had 'seen' (Sort of) how Shirou had lost his Servant to Caster, along with the Chaos Emerald. While Sakura had commanded by Shirou be protected, Rider was spared the need to interfer by Berserker's attack. Once it seemed that the Einzbern girl wasn't going to kill Shirou, Rider had chosen to leave. No point in making herself a target for the monster.

_And there's no point in counting on Shirou's help with the Shadow, _Rider thought bitterly, _A mage who loses his Servant that easily will be no use in dealing with that aberration. And now that he's not a Master, he won't be directly threatened by the War. He can just go to the Overseer and seek his protection._

_But that Rule Breaker...has possibilities..._

* * *

_Precious minutes ago..._

Rin fiddled with the goggles Tails told her to wear before they separated. She and Archer were getting closer to the Ryuudou Temple, and by definition, closer to Assassin and his Master. Judging from what the Samurai had said during his duel with Archer, it would seem that the Master was definitely Souchirou-_sensei_'s mysterious bride. Thankfully, most of the monks had been dismissed from the Temple, so she would have less memories to manipulate when all was done. At her side was Archer, who had remained in astral form as they ran towards the Temple.

_Rin, maybe we should wait for night to fall, _Archer said through their telepathic link, _The rules are against acting during the daytime._

_Archer, we don't have the luxury to wait, _Rin retorted, _From what you've said, the only reason Assassin moved from the Temple gate was because his Master used Power Rings from Sonic's world. The longer we take to retaliate, the more time we give the enemy Master to regain her footing._

_That said, you're still walking into the enemy's stronghold on your own. _Archer pointed out, _We have know idea what kind of defenses they might have waiting._

_The pendent I made with Tails should give us the edge we need, _Rin replied, _Once we're in, try to locate the Master. If we can put it on her, we can stop her ability to use Magecraft._

Archer was about to voice his belief that Rin was being too optimistic, but before he could, he sensed a presence approaching. He motioned that Rin should put away the goggles. She did so, and slowed down her pace into a controlled, steady walk. As she did, her communicator began to beep. Hesitatingly, she slowly reached out and tried to find the 'Answer' button.

Archer was impressed. She got it right in one try.

"_Rin, this is Tails! Do you copy? Stay away from the Temple! Do you copy!?_" Tails' voice blurted out.

Rin flinched from the volume, but replied, "Stop yelling! What's going on? What happened with Emiya_-kun_?"

"_Things have turned bad, Rin. Caster's kidnapped Saber and became her Master- Her Noble Phantasm lets her steal Command Seals! And we think she did the same thing to Assassin!_"

Rin's eyes widened. "What?" Caster became a Master? That sounded impossible.

But...it would make sense, wouldn't it. Like why Assassin was stuck at Ryuudou Temple under normal circumstances. If Caster had command over her own Servant, the Mana requirements would put a huge strain on her own Master. The Temple had multiple Leylines that could support Assassin as long as he remained there. Power Rings allowed them to cheat the system, but only as long as they held out. And having Saber would only make it harder to properly distribute Prana.

"Okay...thanks for the update, Tails," Rin replied slowly, her mind weighing pros and cons to their situation. "Be sure to berate Emiya_-kun _for losing his Servant for me. I think Archer and I can resolve this if we move fast enough. Controlling Multiple Servants takes a huge source of Prana, so..."

"_That's just it! She took Knuckles and the Chaos Emerald! She's _got _Prana!_"

_Hang up, Rin, _Archer alerted, _Here comes someone!_

"We'll discuss this later," Rin whispered into the watch-like device, "Just take Emiya_-kun_ back to my mansion."

Rin shut off the communicator, and just in time. She could see a person coming up. It was none other than Kuzuki-_sensei_, a briefcase in hand. Rin only relaxed just a tiny bit. While the teacher wasn't a direct threat as far as she knew, she an Archer were still near the enemy's base. If she let herself get distracted, she might end up being ambushed herself.

However...this _was _a good opportunity...

"Hello, Kuzuki-_sensei!_" Rin greeted, putting on her 'Honor student' mask. "What a pleasant surprise. I did not know you were out."

Kuzuki nodded at Rin. "Tohsaka_-san_. I was taking taking a walk to clear my head. Is there something you need at the Temple?"

_He doesn't beat around bush, does he, _Rin thought. Luckily, she already had an alibi. "I was hoping to talk with Ryuudou-_san_. It's about how to keep our grades up even with the school closed."

"Issei isn't home right now," Kuzuki explained, "However, I will be sure to tell him of your intentions. Good day."

Kuzuki walked off, but Rin wasn't going to be deterred so easily. "Also, I've been talking with my friends, Kuzuki-_sensei._ Is it true that you're getting married?"

"Yes." Kuzuki replied, not even bothering to turn around.

"What kind of woman is she?" Rin continued, following. "Your bride, I mean."

"Very nice." Was the curt response.

"What does she look like?"

"She's beautiful."

Rin felt her eye twitch. "What. Is. Her. _Name?_"

That time Kuzuki glanced back at Rin. "I'm sorry, I was not paying attention that time."

_It's like talking to an assassin,_ Archer commented, _He's answering your questions without giving away any information. When he wants to answer at all._

Rin frowned. There was a chance that Kuzuki had been hypnotized by the Master to avoid saying anything that could disclose their identity. Or, it was possible that he was doing of his own free will. But in order for that to be possible, he would have to be a Master himself. And the only way to check that was to see if he had…

"Kuzuki-_sensei_," Rin said, flowing her Prana. She sent out a hypnotic command. "_Show me your Command Seal._"

Kuzuki stopped. He turned around and glared at Rin. Granted, he seemed to have 'glare' as his default expression, but this time it looked like there was something behind it. The air behind began to shimmer and a form appeared, wrapping their arms around Kuzuki's shoulders.

"Hello, Master Rin," Caster purred, "Don't you think you were getting a bit too personal for a student?"

Rin tensed up. Besides her, Archer materialized into physical form.

* * *

Shirou walked down the city streets, Illya following close behind. Occasionally, she would reach out as if to take his hand, only to stop at the last moment. When they were alone at a crosswalk, waiting for the signal to change to "Walk", she spoke up.

"What are you going to do, _Onii-chan_?" Illya asked.

Shirou looked behind, somewhat surprised. He hadn't realized that the little girl was following him.

"Sonic said you should fight Caster to regain control of Saber, but do you really think you can do it?" Illya asked. "After all, Caster isn't just some Lord from Clock Tower- If what you've said about her abilities are true, then she's a witch from the Age of the Gods, where the True Magics were more commonplace. She's been siphoning Mana from the people of this city since the beginning of the War, and apparently now has an unlimited source of it," She sounded a bit miffed- either by the turn of events, or that Shirou hadn't told her about the Chaos Emerald sooner. "She'll be capable of Magecraft beyond anything done in the War before. Even if you kill her Master, that won't cause Caster to vanish before she can find a new one."

The signal changed, and the pair walked. Once they reached the other side of the street, Shirou stopped.

"Her Master," He said with realization, "That's it. We don't need to kill her Master."

"Huh?" Illya asked intelligently, "What do you mean?"

"No matter how powerful Caster becomes, she's still a Servant," Shirou reasoned, more to himself. "If we can find her Master, we can use her Command Seals to destroy her- either by having her Master do it for us, or taking those Seals from them."

Illya was about to point out that Caster was unlikely to let her Master go anywhere without her protection, when she spotted someone coming. From her occasional scrying on Shirou (For tactical purposes, of course), she recognized him as one of Shirou's friends, the boy named Ryuudou Issei.

"Ah, Emiya-_kun,_" Issei greeted. He glanced down at Illya. "Hm? Who is this girl?"

"H-hello, Issei," Shirou said, "This is Illya. She's…a relative of Kiritsugu."

Shirou applauded himself for such a clever fib on the spur of the moment. However, he wasn't sure why he said Kiritsugu. He also didn't notice Illya raising her eyebrow.

Issei did, and asked. "How come she doesn't look Japanese?"

Shirou briefly panicked, but realized that he had the perfect answer already. "Kiritsugu was always traveling around, remember? I think I heard him going to Europe once or twice."

Issei nodded, apparently accepting Shirou's explanation. "Speaking of Europeans, where is Saber?"

Shirou felt a pain in his heart, but managed to keep his discomfort contained. "She's off doing errands. What about you? Do you have any business?"

Issei shook his head. "No, I was actually on my way home. You see…"

As Issei talked, a revelation hit Shirou. His friend lived at the Ryuudou Temple, where both Caster and Assassin were stationed. The only other person living there was Kuzuki Souchirou. If it was Caster who was posing as Kuzuki's fiancee, then the Master would have to be…

"Issei, could you follow me for a moment?" Shirou asked, beckoning towards a nearby alleyway.

Confused, Issei did so. Once the three of them were in, Issei asked, "What is this about, Emiya-_kun_?"

Shirou wasn't sure how to do this delicately. He couldn't just ask if Issei had Command Seals. For one, if he did, he would probably lie. And if he didn't, Shirou would risk exposing the Holy Grail War to a bystander. And he couldn't attack one of his friends. Which meant there was only one way to confirm anything.

With total seriousness, Shirou said, "Issei. Take off your clothes."

"WHAAAAT?!"

Illya groaned, palming her face. Onii-chan_, were you dropped on your head as a child?_

"Emiya, that's not something you say in a dark alley!" Issei half-shouted, his eyes darting every which way.

"Look, I know this sounds weird…" Shirou began.

"It certainly-!" Issei's eyes glazed over and his posture slumped.

"Issei?" Shirou asked, concerned.

"It's all right, _Onii-chan,_" Illya said, "It's just a little Magecraft I cast. We can check his body for Command Seals now. That's what you were going for, right?"

Shirou nodded dumbly. While he was glad that Illya caught on, the ease with which she ensourced his friend was not something he would be comfortable with. He was only glad that he and Illya had formed a truce before; If she wanted, Illya wouldn't need Berserker to kill him.

A bit stiffly, Shirou approached the prone Issei, praying to whatever God was listening that no one would intrude and make this weird moment even more awkward. As he reached to take Issei's coat off (Praying that there would be a Command Seal somewhere on the back so Shirou could avoid the pants), Shirou felt a sharp pain in his chest. Falling back, Shirou realized that Issei had tried to stab him with a pencil.

But it wasn't Issei, this time. Issei's eyes weren't pure black, with red dots in the center. Issei didn't have a smile better found on a snake about to bite. And Issei _certainly _didn't have an evil aura of Prana seeping out of his body like smoke!

Evil!Issei lunged again, weilding the the writing implement like a dagger. Thankfully, Shirou wasn't badly hurt by the first attack, and so could easily jump aside.

"Issei, stop!" Shirou cried, but not too loudly to avoid attention.

"He probably can't hear you, _Onii-chan,_" Illya commented on the sidelines. "That's Caster's Prana. I guess putting him in stasis released some built-in failsafe Caster implanted in case someone tried to get too close."

Shirou would have had words to say about Illya cavalier tone of voice, but he was too busy trying to wrestle off Issei. Apparently, besides a total loss of independence and voice, the spell had increased the young monk's physical strength. Either that, or the battle against Caster had exhausted him that much.

Gritting his teeth, Shirou managed to throw Issei off. While he would have wanted to settle this without seriously hurting his friend, he couldn't let this go on. Not only was his friend being controlled, but every second they wasted here would mean less time to mount a counterattack against Caster. As Issei got to his feet, Shirou lunged, his hand tightened into a fist. One good punch in the solar plexus sent Issei into a crouch. Not wanting to give Issei a chance to recover and retaliate, Shirou dove and put Issei into a full-nelson.

"Illya! Break the spell!" Shirou shouted, "Please!"

Illya nodded, and and pointed at Issei. With his struggle to keep Issei restrained holding his focus, Shirou didn't exactly see what the little Master did, but whatever it was, it must have worked. Issei suddenly went limp. A bit cautiously, Shirou laid his friend on the ground. After a moment, he forced one eye open. Thankfully, the eyes had gone back to normal.

_It's a bit strange looking at Issei's eyes without glasses being in the way, _Shirou thought, _But at least he's saved. This could've gotten ugly. _Looking up, Shirou was about to thank Illya for her part when he noticed that the child had gone a little pale. "Are you all right, Illya?"

"A bit," Illya said, leaning against a wall. "But despelling the Magecraft of someone like Caster isn't easy, even for someone like me. A Mage from the Era of the Gods is capable of a higher level of spellcasting."

Shirou nodded, relieved that they had fixed the problem without any serious injury. _I guess now I should check to see if Issei has a Command Seal..._

"I don't think this guy is the Master." Illya piped up.

"What makes you say that?" Shirou asked, confused, but also relieved that he wasn't going to have to take Issei's clothes off.

"Because, a Servant's first duty should be insuring their Master's safety," Illya explained, "Caster had a safeguard to protect her Master's identity, but she didn't show up herself. It's more likely that Glasses-_kun_ is close to her Master, but that's all."

Shirou considered Illya's words. _But the only other real person staying at the Ryuudou Temple is Kuzuki-_sensei_. Does that mean _he's_ the Master?_

* * *

In the area before the Ryuudou Temple, the light fantastic was being flashed in multiple colors. Caster would attempt to blast Archer with her own Magecraft, and Archer would either deflect and cut through the rays with his Projected swords. To prevent outsiders from noticing the epic battle taking place, a Boundary Field had summoned to surround the area. With all of the excitement, no one noticed the robotic drones scouting the area.

_This is bad, _Archer thought as he Projected weapons to shoot against Caster, _I'm starting to run low- not that I had much to begin with- and it doesn't seem like Caster's going to get tired anytime soon! Be nice if Gilgamesh were to show up and obliterate her for like he did the first time..._

Meanwhile, Rin maintained her distance from the skirmish, but continued to approach Kuzuki. Normally, killing the Master was the fastest way to ensure a Servant's death. But Caster having the energy of a Chaos Emerald to prolong her existence rendered that meaningless. As such, there was only one surefire method to defeating Caster; having the Master Command Caster to die.

_I'll target the non-vital areas first, _Rin thought as she ran at her teacher, _That should be enough to convince him we mean business..._

As the gap between teacher and student lessened, the last thing Rin saw was Kuzuki taking off his glasses.

Then, everything changed.

The roundhouse kick Rin wanted to deliver into Kuzuki's side became blocked- no, caught. The joint between her foot and leg were pressed from above and below by Kuzuki's elbow and knee. Before a second and passed, Kuzuki pulled Rin towards him, and delivered a series of powerful blows into her body, before sending her flying with an open-palm strike. Rin crashed into a tree, sending bark flying off of the other side.

"_Rin!_" Archer cried in alarm.

"In a life and death battle, you don't even target the vitals, Tohsaka?" Kuzuki asked as he approached the fallen girl. "Isn't that a bit careless for someone normally so meticulous?"

As Rin struggled to get up, gritting her teeth in pain, she saw that Kuzuki's fists were glowing. _Runes...but, Kuzuki isn't a Mage, how...? _Then, she realized. _Caster!_

"Normally, the role of a Master is to provide support for their Servants," Kuzuki explained as he took a fighting stance, "However, there is always at least one exception to every rule."

_I get it, _Archer thought, looking back from Kuzuki to Caster. _Caster must have used Magecraft to enhance Kuzuki-_sensei's_ abilities. Combined with martial arts, he's become a force that can fight Servant's directly._

Rin, still leaning against the tree but now standing, fired off a series of Gems at Kuzuki. The former assassin easily dodged them as he charged at his target. Rin was already trying to get out of the way, but it was clear that she wouldn't be able to escape Kuzuki's strike. But before Kuzuki could reach, the ground between the two exploded. Kuzuki whirled around to glare at Archer, who had his bow ready. Before Archer could do anything, he had to dodge some spellfire from Caster.

_I feel like I'm trying to swim in quicksand, _Archer thought, _I can't cover Rin and fight these two at the same time!_

Caster must have cast a spell to read minds, for she said, "What are you going to do, Archer? Your Master can't support in such a state, and you can't defend her. It must be so difficult having such a unreliable Master."

"What's your point?" Archer asked, keeping his eyes on the witch, while had his senses on Kuzuki. Luckily, the ex-killer was paying more attention to Archer than Rin. The bowman Projected a new set of swords just in case.

"I'm saying, us being enemies seems so meaningless at this point," Caster went on, "It's plainly obvious that if this goes on, both you and that girl will be killed.

"So why not save yourself?"

Archer stopped. So did Rin.

Caster pulled out _Rule Breaker. _Archer's eyes absorbed every detail of its design.

"With the Chaos Emerald under my control, I have more Prana than I know what to do with," Caster explained, "Why frustrate yourself with the limited abilities your Master gives, when you could join hands with the winner of the War?"

"You think you've won, just because you found a shiny rock?" Archer asked sardonically.

Caster chuckled. "Oh, Archer, if only you knew the true point of this War."

_To summon a horrific monster made of evil and destroy the world? I think I've got that part down._

"To a true Mage, there is more than one path to victory," Caster explained, "Merely killing the other Servants is just one course of action. And that will just leave one Servant to claim the wish. But, if we were to join hands..."

Caster trailed off, but her offer was clear. Whatever 'method' she had discovered, it was possibly one that could allow multiple people to achieve the Grail's power. It was hard to tell if this was just an exgerrated theory, or an outright lie. But the point was that if Archer came over to her side willingly, he could get a wish of his own. Normally, Archer would tell her to shove it, but with the odds being stacked against them so badly...

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Archer said aloud. He heard Rin gasp, but forced himself to ignore it. "After all, this may the only way to accomplish my goals..." He let his arms down and walked towards Caster, his swords disappating.

Caster's smile broadened. She looked more and more like the cat that had just finished eating the canary. She reached out with her dagger and pointed the tip at Archer. "Then we shall now forge a new contract."

The blade wasn't even sharp enough to prick Archer's skin, but he felt a huge rush afterwards. The Prana he received from his bond with Rin was instantly replaced by something stronger, more potent. If power had a flavor, then the kind filling him was a zesty martini compared to Rin's glass of water.

_And she only has one Chaos Emerald, _Archer thought, _God help us all if she ever found the other six..._

Caster examined the Command Seals that appeared on her arm. "Ahh, very good..." She turned back and looked over Archer's shoulder. "Now, as your first job as a Servant is to tie up a loose end."

"You invite into your ranks for some knotwork?" Archer asked sarcastically, "Gosh, I'm so honored."

Caster gave him a flat look. "Let's despense with the comedy. I want you to kill your former Master."

"What for?" Archer asked evasively. He could already sense Rin beating a hasty retreat. Thankfully, Kuzuki wasn't making chase. Apparently, he had no interest in the War beyond anything that affected him personally.

"Call it a precaution on our part," Caster said, her eyes glinting. "We can't have dear Miss Tohsaka spread news of our new partnership. The less people know, the better it will be for us," She held up her hand. "Now, are you going to do it, or should I _order _you to do it?"

Archer grimaced. He didn't like the idea of turning his bow on Rin, but he knew that if he resisted openly Caster would use a Command Seal- or worse, her own Emerald-enhanced Magecraft. As he Projected a bow, he decided to "accidentally" miss and blame it on an order from Rin not to attack him. It wouldn't be exactly a lie, as she had made it clear allies weren't to fight each other. (That lecture had been born from his insistence to just kill Shirou before he bungled it)

Before he could see his ploy through, Archer's ears pricked up at a faint noise. It was steadily and rapidly greating closer. Archer quickly realized what it was, just as something zipped by, followed by an "Eek!" With a grin, Archer let go of the bow, knowing full well that his arrow (It was just an arrow this time, not a sword) wouldn't be able to catch Sonic.

_Well, that's one problem down. Now, what can I do from here...?_

* * *

As he carried Rin as far from the Ryuudou Mountain as fast he can, Sonic said, "Just hold, Rin! Tell Archer to meet us at Shirou's place."

Rin didn't answer. Clinging to Sonic's arms, she just looked down at the ground.

"Uh, Rin?" Sonic asked, a bit worried. "What's wrong?"

"...Archer's not coming back." The Mage said sadly, and glanced at hand where her Command Seals _used _to be.

* * *

"I'm home!" Shirou called out. He and Illya entered the Emiya Estate and left their shoes by the door and went to the living room. Shirou felt bad about leaving Issei alone, but Illya assured him that the student council president would have no memories of what happened in the alley, or his encounter with Shirou. He would believe he had just fallen asleep on the bench where Shirou had left him.

"_Onii-chan,_ who are you talking to?" Illya asked, "I thought you lived alone."

"Not all the time," Shirou replied, miffed. "My teacher likes to check up on me-" _And bum free meals. _"-and one of my classmates comes by most of the time to help out with dinner."

"Well, there's no one here now," Illya pointed out, "So, what next? I followed you all the way back to your house, but there's nothing here to get, is there? Wouldn't it have made more sense to go to Tohsaka's?"

"Just because I'm fighting in the Holy Grail War doesn't mean I can ignore my normal life," Shirou explained, "I've been lucky so far, but Fuji-_Nee _and Sakura are going to wonder where I disappear to if he chores aren't done. Besides...I need this."

"_Onii-chan, _are you saying that mundane chores are more important than making War preparations?" Illya asked.

Shirou nodded. "They are. This kind of normal life may not be much, but it's still something I treasure. I want to preserve it for as long as I can." _But is there really nothing to do here for the War? I feel like I came back for a reason..._

"Anyway, Tohsaka's place was attacked, remember?" Shirou continued, "So, this might be the only safe place for us in Fuyuki."

"The home of an amateur Mage, surrounded by a basic Boundary Field, in the battle for the ultimate power, safe?" Illya raised an eyebrow. "_Onii-chan_, are you even thinking about what you're saying?"

"Well, it's not like I have a castle like yours." Shirou retorted. However, that sentence gave birth to an idea.

But ideas would have to wait, as the door swung open and a new challenger to Shirou's patience arrived.

"Shirou, I'm home!" Came the very loud announcement as Fujimura Taiga came in through the door.

Shirou gulped. Taiga had been working late when Illya invited herself for dinner that night, but now there was no avoiding it. He quickly began to formulate a series of plausible explanations as to why a high-school boy would bring an unrelated girl to his house. Given how excitable Taiga was, this would be an uphill battle.

Luckily, Taiga didn't seem to notice as she strode into the room. Her eyes brightened as she saw Shirou, then narrowed in thought. Behind her, Illya took out a bag of chips.

"Hmm?" Taiga raised an eyebrow and looked and inquisitively. "Where's Saber? I thought she'd be with you, Shirou."

Shirou felt his insides tighten. "She's…. Saber's just out on an errand. She'll be back soon."

Taiga hummed, crossing her arms in thought. "Just like Kiritsugu… That guy would always just wander off without telling anyone. And he was pretty tight-lipped on where he went. It used to drive grandfather nuts for some reason…"

"Maybe he didn't think your family needed to know what he was doing." Illya piped up. She popped a cracker in her mouth.

"But trust and communication are important to a relationship, even between neighbors," Taiga replied, "You're think that after all of the help Grandpa gave him when he and Shirou first settled here…"

Taiga trailed off. Slowly, she turned her head towards Illya. And Illya, seated at the dining table, munching on crackers, waved. Rather dumbly, Taiga waved back. She then turned to Shirou. Shirou inhaled. He could feel it coming.

"SHIROU! WHO IS THIS LITTLE GIRL AND WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?!"

Taiga's shout shook the shutters. Birds that were resting on rooftops flew off. Small infants that were just put to sleep woke up bawling.

_Critical hit. _Shirou thought. If he thought Taiga had been angry when she first met Saber, he clearly hadn't seen anything yet.

Illya chose that moment to introduce herself. Nonplussed by the Tigers roar, she stood up and curtsied. "Hello to you. I am Illyasviel von Einzbern, and I have come from Germany to be with my _Onii-chan._"

"ONII-CHAN!? Shirou, who..." Taiga trailed off. She shut her eyes and crossed her arms, clearly deep in thought. "...Did you say Germany?"

Illya nodded. "That is correct. I am the daughter of the noble Einzbern family, so I expect to be treated nicely."

But Taiga wasn't really paying attention to Illya anymore. She kept muttering, mulling over something. It was actually a little disorienting to Shirou.

_This is so spooky, _Shirou thought, _I don't think I've ever seen Fuji_-nee_ think so hard. I wonder what's going on in there..._

"Hrmm... Hey, Shirou," Taiga said quietly, "Did you know that Kiritsugu was married once?"

"R-really?!" Shirou gaped, losing his train of thought. Although it paled to the shock of losing Saber, this revelation was a bit jarring to say the least. But he didn't understand what this had to do with Illya."

"Yeah, I overheard grandpa and Kiritsugu talk about it once," Taiga continued, giving Illya sidelong glances. "It was after one of Kiritsugu's trips..."

Taiga trailed off. Her head bent down. Her arms, once crossed, went limp. Shirou didn't like the look of it.

"Fuji-_nee_?" Shirou asked, leaning in cautiously.

Illya stood up with a start. "Onii-chan, _don't go near her!_"

And then, disaster struck.

* * *

It was a dark room. No, it wasn't merely dark. It was if someone had taken shadows, gave them physical form, and used it to create walls to block out everything else. Even with Reinforced eyes, Archer could only see the other three occupants, taking refuge from the darkness in mystically summoned spotlights.

Knuckles the Echidna, bound in chains hanging from the ceiling. In fact, there were so many links surrounding his body that only his head and sneakers were visible, sticking out of the metal cocoon. His eyes were shut, trapped in an unnatural slumber.

Opposite of Knuckles was Saber. She too, was bound, but not nearly as much as the Echidna was. Only her wrists and feet were tied. Any more tethers would get in the way of the revealing white dress Caster had forced her into. And she too, was unconcious.

And Caster was dead in the center, all too full of life. She was surrounded by runes, carved into the floor and orbiting her person in the air. The witch had the Chaos Emerald floating in front of her. Sparks of purple lightning crackled around. Archer could feel the performance of high-level Magecraft. He actually had to tilt his head to avoid being struck by the lightning.

"Oh, this is much better than Issei," Caster hissed as she worked her Magecraft, "Oh _yes…_"

* * *

Shirou, rather pointlessly, stood protectively in front of Illya. This act was pointless for two reasons;

One, Illya was still much, much more powerful than him.

Two, the dangerous force Shirou hoped to protect his guest from…was _Taiga._

His normal hyperactive had taken an offensive stance. She gripped the dreaded _Tora-Shinai_, killing intent rolling of her as thick as the Magecraft that gripped her. His teacher's eyes had the same as Issei's when Caster's spell had taken control.

Taiga lunged. Even with his legs being Reinforced, Shirou just barely dodged the attack, grabbing Illya and diving outside. The _Tora-Shinai _struck the wall, creating a large crack. Taiga recovered quickly and lunged once more, bringing up the _Tora-Shinai_ in preparation of her assault. Seeing this, Shirou dove out of the way, but this time did not bring Illya with him. As he guessed, Taiga ignored the young girl and focused her attack on Shirou.

_Looks like Caster's only concerned with me... _Shirou thought as he did his best to avoid Taiga, _That's a relief. At least Illya won't be in danger..._

Needing a weapon, but unwilling to risk hurting Taiga, Shirou instinctively Projected a copy of the _Tora-Shinai _to better defend himself. Strangely, though, he found himself weilding the weapon the way Taiga would. However, it wasn't enough. Even in her normal state of mind, Taiga was a relentless fighter. Now, what little restraint she had in combat was stripped away by Caster's manipulations. Although his own skills were increasing thanks to his sparring matches with Saber, Shirou quickly found himself overwhelmed.

As Shirou tried, in vain, to parry his controlled-teacher's strikes, he didn't pay much attention to Illya. But if he had, he would have seen the look of distress in her eyes.

"_Onii-chan, _something's wrong!" Illya shouted, "I can't even begin to break the spell!"

_It's because of the Chaos Emerald,_ Shirou realized, _Caster didn't have it when she put that spell on Issei, but now...!_

Taiga continued to push Shirou back, knocking him towards the shed. As he crashed through the doors, Shirou dropped _faux Tora-Shinai, _causing it to dissolve. Taiga advanced on Shirou, the real _Tora-Shinai _raised in preparation. Shirou briefly considered using something amoung the many piles of odds and ends. But even if he could get lucky and knock Taiga out, there would not necessarily break Caster's hold on her.

_I Just wish I had a way to undo Magecraft..._ Shirou thought, when Archer's words reappeared in his mind;

_"...You should create something that can fulfill your needs."_

Something he needs... Right now, Shirou needed a way to break Caster's control over Taiga. A tool that can sever the spell that bound her...

"_This is _Rule Breaker_," Caster said, "It is a sword of betrayal and negation. It's power is such that it can nullify any Magecraft in the world."_

An idea began to form. He could summon Archer's swords...could that be the same for other Servants? But Archer's _Kansho _and _Bakuya _had no extraordinary powers...would a fake _Ruler Breaker_ have the same abilities the original did?

_If Sonic were here, he'd probably say, "Let's do it! We've got nothing to lose!_" Shirou thought, and began to concentrate.

Shirou didn't notice that the magic circle carved into the shed's floor was glowing again. Nor was he aware of the flickering light beneath the boards. Not even Taiga, pushed forward by her twisted puppeteer, drew his attention. Every percent of Shirou's focus was concentrated on the task at hand.

_I Am The _ Of My Sword_

Shirou felt the heat in his body spark up. That same sensation when he first Projected before Sonic. But this time, it was different. Before, the fire had no place to go. Shirou's false Mage Circuits twisted and distorted the power, mutating the spell. The lack of self he held at the time turned the Magecraft against him. But the instruction he received from Rin gave Shirou the skill he needed to better process the energy. The time he had spent with Sonic granted Shirou clarity to shape the tool. Light appeared in his hand, taking the form of Caster's Noble Phantasm.

That's when Taiga attacked. The possesed teacher lunged at Shirou bringing her _shinai_ down. Shirou, in what little room the shed had, darted around Taiga. As the _Tora-Shinai _crashed into the floorboards, Shirou jammed the _Rule Breaker _into Taiga's side. For a moment, it didn't seem like it worked. Then, Shirou felt the Magecraft leave Taiga. His neighbor fell to the floor, going limp and hanging halfway over the hole. Shirou let out a sigh of relief. The battle was over.

"_Onii-chan, _are you all right?" Illya called from outside, worried.

"I'm fine, Illya," Shirou replied, "And so is Fuji-_nee_. I freed her with _Ruler Breaker..._"

Then it hit him. Shirou had just _stabbed Taiga! _Panicking, he ran over to Taiga's and pulled her up. Trembling, he saw a fresh, red stain when he had 'applied' the fake Noble Phantasm.

"Illya, call an ambulance, quick!" Shirou yelled in alarm. As he pulled Taiga up, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Despite the very pressing need to help Taiga, Shirou's curiosity bid him to take a closer. Laying Taiga down, Shirou peered over the side of the broken wood to look down the hole.

There, among the shards of timber, was a glowing, yellow, gem- _a Chaos Emerald_.

_**To be continued**_

_Tiger Dojo_

**Taiga:** There and back again, it's the TIGER DOJO! I am Fujimura Taiga, your instructor! Ugh...it hurts...

**Illya: **And I am Illya, the Number One Student!

**Taiga: **I'm not feeling my best, so let's just move on to the Q &amp; A...Shirou, why couldn't you have saved me less painfully...?

**Illya: **Our first question comes from Perry; "_Do you think the Eggman Fleet would make an appearance?_"

**Taiga: **The wha-? Oh, those ships that appeared in _Sonic Heroes_. I'unno...

**Illya: **I don't think Eggman has enough room to bring an armada that big with him to Fuyuki. He might have a few more battleships, like his _Flying Torpedo_, but that's it.

**Taiga: **Our next question is from an anomynous reader; "_Is the Master Emerald gonna play a part?_" Hmm... No!

**Illya: **Knuckles left the Master Emerald back in his homeworld. I think that water monster is guarding it, now.

**Taiga: **Exactly! When leaving...you must... get a... _(Faints)_

**Illya: **Eee! She's fainted from bloodloss! That's all for now, I've gotta get some healing Magecraft ready!


End file.
